Heart Series 1: Heart of the Wolf
by Acaykath
Summary: A transfer program sends Sakura to the Li clan. When She opens a book known as the Clow, she finds herself mixed up in strange magic, clan politics and worst of all, an arranged marriage where her only hope is the love of a wolf who is also a boy.
1. Transfer

**CH1: Transfer**

* * *

"Kinomoto Sakura," a voice echoed over the classroom in Tomoeda Middle School, "Please come to the guidance counsellor's office."

"Hoe!" She exclaimed, as she grabbed her things and ran out of the classroom, causing the class to laugh as she tripped over a student's desk. She raced down the hall only pausing to apologize profusely to a teacher who told her she should slow down after she ran into him. "I am here!" She cried as she ran into the door of the guidance office, not having given herself enough time to actually finish opening the door.

"I'm glad you could make it," a blue haired boy with spectacles said, opening the door and helping her up, "I am Hiiragizawa Eriol." He smiled invitingly at her and gestured for her to enter.

"Kinomoto," The guidance counsellor greeted, "Congratulations, you have been chosen to represent Tomoeda Middle School in out cultural exchange program."

"Hoe!" Sakura did not even know that this program existed.

"This must come as a surprise to you," The counsellor continued, ignoring her interruption, "as this program is new to this year. Mr. Hiiragizawa came from England, and will be staying with your family while you travel to Hong Kong for the rest of the school year."

"Why Hong Kong, if this is an exchange shouldn't I be going to England?" Sakura asked with a confused expression on her face that caused Eriol to smirk with barely contained laughter.

"This is a new program and it was decided to try a different format in order that people can learn about two cultures instead of one. Each year the destinations for each school will be chosen randomly and the student that is chosen to participate in the program will travel to that location and live with the family of the person who left. They will then correspond in letters, that will be marked, with both the person whose home you are living in and the person who is living in your home in order to learn about them and their culture. Before you object, I must warn you that your father has already agreed to allow you to participate in the program and you will be leaving for Hong Kong this evening. You will go to your classes as normal to introduce Eriol to your classmates, then you will show him to your home and introduce him to your family."

"Hai." Sakura had no choice but to agree, everything seemed to be planned out. She introduced Eriol to her friends, many of whom thought he was quite handsome and fawned over him. He did not seem t mind in the least, in fact it seemed he did not notice the attentions at all and merely acted in a surprisingly polite manner that charmed them even more.

* * *

"Onii-chan!" Sakura called as she led Eriol into her home.

"The Kaijyuu has returned for another rampage." Touya replied in mock fear, only to receive a powerful stomp on his foot as he came from the living room.

"I am not a kaijyuu!"

"Who's the gaki?" Touya asked leering suspiciously at Eriol.

"My name is Hiiragizawa Eriol." Eriol introduced humself and held out his hand in greeting. Touya ignored it.

"I don't like you, I don't want you anywhere near my sister."

"I don't believe that will be a problem." Eriol smiled.

* * *

Sakura managed to pack her bags and arrive at the airport with only minute to spare. "Abayo otou-san. Abayo onii-chan!" She said giving them each a big hug. Touya's less than positive response to her earned him a stomp o the foot. "I am not a Kaijyuu." Fujitaka smiled at his children's interaction, already missing his daughter before she even left. And to spite her brother, this exchange was followed by, "Abayo Eriol-kun." as she gave an embarrassed Eriol a hug that put the one she'd given her brother to shame then ran off to board her flight.

* * *

"Kinomoto-san." An old man in a black suit addressed Sakura as she disembarked.

"Hai!"

"I am Wei, the butler for the Li household. If you would follow me, I will take you to the residence in which you will be staying." Sakura nodded politely and followed.

"What about my luggage?"

"It will be sent directly to the residence." Outside the Airport, a limo waited. Wei opened the door motioned for her to enter. "If you want refreshments, they can be found in the fridge next to the seat. Please enjoy the trip." He closed the door behind her and walked around the limo and entered the driver's seat.

"Sugoi!" Sakura exclaimed as she explored what the various appliance, buttons and features were housed in the back of the limo. In minutes, Wei announced that they had arrived as he pulled in front of a large compound with a mansion that dominated the view through the gates. "So big!" Sakura was dazzled by the size and splendour of the Li mansion. A handsome boy with brown hair stood unmoving, leaning against the brick gate posts. He opened his eyes and stared at her rather rudely as Wei drove off to park the limo on the garage that was located a block away.

"Follow me." he ordered, as if it were unthinkable that anyone should not follow his instructions. She could tell by the way the boy looked at he, and his lack of customary pleasantries, that he did not want her there. She didn't argue with him, but glared furiously at the back of his head. She followed him into the main house. "Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanren, Feimei!" Li called out as soon as the door was closed. Four teenage girls burst into the room screaming.

"Kawaii!"

"Is this your girlfriend?"

"Look at that hair!"

"Her clothes are adoreable!"

Sakura found herself being fondled by these complete strangers, having her cheeks pinched and her hair ruffled and bing given hugs on several occasions until a large pair of mahogany doors swung open to reveal a tall, beautiful and regal looking woman. Her presence caused the four girls and Li to line up and stand stiff and respectful.

"You are Kinomoto Sakura." She stated as if the fact had been obvious without introductions. "I am Li Yelan. You have already met my daughters Li Fuutie, Li Shiefa, Li Fanren and Li Feimei. The boy who so ungraciously delivered you into their hands is my son, Li Syaoran." Li looked down, looking embarrassed at the introduction that he had received. Yelan stepped towards Sakura who felt the awesome presence of the woman that commanded respect. Her body stiffened nervously as the woman used two fingers to tilt her head up to look into the woman's eyes. After a few moments that seemed an eternity, the woman smiled and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Syaoran," she said as she turned to leave, "You will show her to her room and tell her what she needs to know."

"Yes, Mother." He gave a small bow before grabbing Sakura and leading her up the stairs.

"Your sisters are … friendly." Sakura stated once they were away from the presence of Syaoran's mother.

Li's only response to that was a grunt that indicated that he thought them more of a hassle than anything else. "This is your room." He stated, opening a door.

"Sugoi!" She cried, "This room is so big!" It was in fact larger than any two rooms in her own house. It included a king size bed, a desk, a dresser, a television, a telephone, a few comfortable chairs as well as its own private washroom and bath.

"There are certain rules in this house that you will be expected to follow. You will address My mother and the Elders with respect and do as they tell you. You will not enter any closed rooms without permission but you are free to explore any open rooms."

"Thank you Li-san." She said. As he turned to leave, obviously not desiring to spend any more time with her than required. As Sakura continued to inspect her room, she found that her belongings were already there, and unpacked. On the bed's pillow was a note saying 'Dinner begins at 6:00. Please try to be on time. –Yelan-sama' "Hoe!" The alarm clock next to the bed read '5:58' she ran out of her room and began a frantic search for the dining room.

* * *

She managed to find the dining room with the help of a few servants who pointed her in the right direction. "Sorry I am late!" she said as she dashed into the room at two minutes past six. She did not notice the rug at the entrance that slid out from under her, sending her sliding across the polished wood floor in a seated position.

"Perhaps we should be using less expensive china while she stays here." Li smirked as Sakura's slide brought her into a table leg forcing him to catch a plate that was nearly knocked to the ground. Sakura turned red from embarrassment.

"Please take you seat beside Syaoran." Yelan said, as if the incident had not occurred. "I hope you enjoy the meal Sakura. I usually make the evening meals myself."

"I am sure it will be delicious." Sakura replied as she sat down. They began to eat their meal, and Sakura discovered that she had been right. The food was delicious.

"I am sure my son explained the rules of the house with you in detail, but I believe I shall go over them again, in case he was not as thorough as he should have been." She sent her son a quick and piercing glare that caused him to slump nervously in his seat. "You may have noticed that we are not a poor family. In fact, the Li clan is one of the richest families in China and own the Li Corporation, a multi-national business with a good reputation. As long as you live in this house, you will be expected to abide by certain standards as what you do will reflect upon our family. In light of this, you will be joining Syaoran for the family lessons."

"NANI!" Syaoran looked shocked.

"Which include manners, diplomacy, family history and martial arts. These will occur every morning at four."

"HOE!" It was Sakura's turn to object. "That's so early!"

"My son will ensure that you are awake and that you arrive at your lessons on time, until you are used to this schedule." Yelan smiled. Li looked like he was about to faint. "As Li has already informed you, you are allowed to wander the grounds at your leisure. You may enter all unlocked buildings, and enter any open room once inside those buildings. We value our privacy, so do not wander into off limit areas or we will be forced to assign one of the servants to escort you while on the property." Sakura decided that it was probably best to follow this rule. After this, they chatted pleasantly until the meal was finished. Sakura was tired, and anticipating an early morning she went to bed and dreamed of a brown wolf that howled through the night.


	2. School

**CH2: School**

* * *

"Wake up! You are going to be late."

"Ugnh… Five more minutes Touya…" Sakura said covering her head with a pillow. She sighed happily as she heard the door close and returned to her slumber. She didn't hear the tap run, nor did she notice when someone picked her up. But she did notice when she landed in a bathtub full of ice-cold water. "HOE!"She cried, jumping out as fast as she could, only to find herself not in front of her brother, but the smirking face of that gaki Li Syaoran. "You…You…!" She found herself unable to think of any words nasty enough to describe him.

"Woke you up on time." He finished for her. "I also brought some training clothes that you will need for the martial arts part of the lesson, but if you really want to miss it that badly…" He dangled a bundle of white silk over the tub."

"Baka!" She did what came natural to her in these situations; she slammed her foot down on his with all her might. She managed to catch the bundle of clothes that he dropped as he started hopping around screaming obscenities and clutching his foot, which was now covered in a large red welt. "Out!" She pushed him back into her room then slammed the bathroom door and locked it. She dried herself off and changed clothes. She had to admit, the training clothes Li had brought her were nice. The silk felt so smooth and comfortable and allowed the air to flow in a way that made her feel free. They were pure white and seemed to shine in the glow of the fluorescent lights. They consisted of a pair of pants that billowed out slightly except for the one inch cuffs at the ankles and the four inch waist band what were skin tight and a sleeveless shirt that was just loose enough to give her complete freedom of movement and had flaps that draped down to the knees in the front and back. On the back of the shirt was the yin-yang symbol, which Sakura guessed was the Li clans emblem based on the proliferation of the symbol throughout the household decorations. She exited the bathroom to find Syaoran had left. 'Baka!' Sakura thought, 'how does he expect me to find where I am supposed to go.'

"Kinomoto-san," Wei greeted her as she exited her room, "Do you require assistance finding the dojo?" Wei chuckled, "I believe Syaoran felt that he needed to leave early in order to get there on time with his injury." Sakura blushed.

"Thanks." She quickly recovered, remembering what Li had done to her, "I hope this has not inconvenienced you."

"Not at all, miss." Wei bowed slightly and led the way.

Sakura was led outside through the rear door and Wei directed her to cross the well groomed lawn and enter the building directly across from them. She crossed quickly, hoping she wouldn't be late and enjoying the feeling of the grass and morning dew on her bare feet as she ran. She made it across quite quickly; she was a very fast runner. She slid open the door to find Li training with one of the elders watching and giving instruction on how to improve his technique. His moves were quick, precise, and skilled. Sakura couldn't help but stare for a second as she watched him pull off a kick that seemed to be physically impossible. The fact that he was only wearing training pants didn't hurt either. "Baka" she said to herself, "Before I leave, I'll beat him at least once. Another elder appeared and began to teach her. She learned the basics of the Li clan's fighting style for the next two hours.

"Very good Kinomoto-san." The elder told her with a polite bow, "That is enough for today. You will be expected to practice every day."

"Thank you sensei." Sakura replied with a much lower bow before running off to her room to change.

On her bed, she found a black skirt, a white shirt with blue decals on the cuff and collar as well as a black tie. A note indicated that this was her school uniform and that she was to wear it. She took a quick shower to wash off the sweat from training then donned the uniform before heading down to breakfast.

* * *

"Good morning Kinomoto-san." Yelan greeted her. A maid appeared with a plate covered in waffles, and fruit covered in maple syrup and whipped cream and placed in if front of the chair where Sakura was planning to sit.

"Please, Yelan-sama, call me Sakura." The older woman nodded and smiled.

"You will be going to school with Li, and you will be in the same class as him. He will walk you to and from school and show you where your classes are." Li entered the room just in time to hear this and looked rather disappointed. Yelan then handed Sakura a small package. She opened it to find a school ID, and a credit card.

"Thank you, but why am I receiving a credit card."

"Since you are staying with us, you will be learning everything about being a Li. That includes resource management. You will receive a balance on that card weekly, which you will be allowed to spend in whatever manner you choose. Any money that is not spent will automatically be transferred to a savings account in your name."

"I cannot accept this, it's too much." Sakura said attempting to hand back the card.

"You cannot refuse it," Yelan smiled, "It is a requirement of the exchange that you live as the person you replaced lived, which includes any allowance they had to spend, which in Meiling's case was five hundred dollars. You will be receiving no allowance from your father. You may choose not to spend the money, but it will be yours no matter what." Sakura sighed and put the card back with the ID.

"You are going to be late." Syaoran said, finishing his breakfast he left and appeared with his schoolbag a few moments later. Sakura ran as fast as she could to her room and grabbed he school supplies, placing her identification card and credit card into the bag. Sakura got back down to find Li had left without her and she had to run to catch up with him.

"Syaooo-ran!" She called, attempting to cause him to wait for her. It had the opposite effect.

"Call me Li." He called back and walked faster.

* * *

They arrived at the private school known as the Hong Kong Educational Centre. It was a three-story, grey-brick building. Syaoran, who had by this point resigned himself to the fact that he would not be able to escape Sakura, led her inside and to the principal's office.

"I am Kinomoto Sakura," She introduced herself.

"The new exchange student." The principal acknowledged, "All your classes are with Li. He will show you to your classes. I will inform the teachers that you have arrived." Then he sent them away with a dismissive wave. "One moment." He stopped them, "This is the work you are required to do for the exchange program." He handed her a binder filled with papers, and ushered them out the door once again.

* * *

Sakura entered the class right behind Li. The teacher looked like she was going to give Li a lecture about timeliness until she noticed Sakura standing behind him.

"Class, it seems our exchange student from Japan has arrived. I am your teacher Terada Yoshiyuke. Please introduce yourself to the class then take the empty desk behind Syaoran."

"Hi. I am Sakura Kinomoto." She started, feeling a little nervous. A lot of the boys were practically drooling. "I come from Tomoeda, Japan. I am staying at the Li residence for this year." at this, many of the girls looked like they wanted either to be her or kill her. She smiled nervously and made her way to her seat.

"Kinomoto-chan," the dark haired girl beside her whispered, "I am Daidouji Tomoyo. It is nice to meet you. I hope we can become good friends." Sakura smiled and nodded, noting that the name seemed familiar for some reason.

* * *

Lunch came, and Tomoyo introduced Sakura to some of her friends. "This is Sasaki Rika, she is in love with Terada-sensei." The girl promptly denied it, but the blush that covered her face told a different story. The other girls giggled. "This is Yanagisawa Naoko. She loves reading, especially fantasy novels and" Tomoyo made a menacing face and spoke in a scary voice, "ghost stories." Sakura whimpered and drew back. "Ohhohoho! Looks like someone's afraid of ghosts."

"Did you know that people didn't always believe in ghosts? At one time people used them as an excuse when they passed gas and couldn't blame it on anyone else, but it eventually became the explanation for any abnormal occurrences." A boy said, one of the other girls smacked him in the head.

"This is Yamazaki Takashi, and you can't believe a single word he says. I am Mihara Chiharu." The girl who had smacked Takashi introduced. Syaoran, managed to escape Sakura and disappear while Sakura was distracted by her new friends. At this point she really didn't care. She had friends who would show her where her classes were. It was good riddance to a stupid baka.

* * *

"Syaoran!" Sakura wailed as he disappeared around the corner, ditching her while she was still trapped in the throng of students escaping the school. She hoped she could find her way back without his help, if not, she suspected he'd be sent by his mother to find her. In that case, she would run away from him, and make him chase her for once. She headed up the street in the same direction Syaoran had gone. A few shops lined this section of the street. She saw Tomoyo, Chiharu and Takashi standing in line at an ice-cream shop. "Hi Tomoyo, Chiharu, Yamazaki!"

"Sakura! Come join us." Tomoyo responded, smiling.

"This place has the best ice-cream in town." Chiharu said.

"Hai!" Sakura said, squeezing into the line with them much to the irritation of those behind.

"Did you know that ice-cream wasn't always a yummy snack? It used to be used in torture. Chinese emperors used to force feed spies ice-cream to give them brain freeze. They thought that as the brain thawed the spies' secrets would leak out."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

"No!" Chiharu smacked Yamazaki, "He's making things up as usual."

"Oh…" Sakura blushed from the embarrassment of being tricked by him…again.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo screamed, "Look at her blush." This only aggravated the situation as it seemed everyone on the block turned to look. "So, Sakura-chan, whats your favourite flavour of ice-cream?"

"Strawberry." Sakura replied.

"Strawberry cone it is, and a chocolate and a vanilla and a banana split for the boy who likes to monkey around." Tomoyo said half to the attendant who began to prepare the order. "It's all on me."

"No… You can't!" Sakura protested.

"Too late." Tomoyo replied, smiling and shoving the strawberry cone at her. She had no choice but to accept.

"You are staying at Li's house, huh?"

"Yeah, I spend practically all my time with that baka."

"Ohohoho! You two are really close." Tomoyo grinned evilly.

"HOE!" Sakura protested, "It's not like that, his mother makes him show me around and we have extra classes with the Li elders before school."

"You know, I heard once that the Li family is really from a line of sorcerers and… Ow!"

"Stop making things up Takashi!" Chiharu yelled for what must have been the thousandth time that day.

After half an hour, Sakura excused herself, promising to hang out with them the next day. She once again headed towards the Li mansion. As she passed a sports equipment store, she noticed a pair of pink rollerblades on display. This would show him, she thought, getting the credit card out of her bag.

When she exited the store, she was wearing a pair of the roller blades as well as matching pink pads in case she fell. She noticed Syaoran frantically searching the street for her. She was between him and the house, if she could get to the turn before he returned, then he would probably stay out here looking. It would serve him right for running away from her.

* * *

The afternoon was free, and Syaoran had not yet returned, it was the perfect opportunity to explore the house. The upstairs rooms were mostly closed, but from the ones she could see, she assumed they were all bedrooms, bathrooms and studies.

The lower floors were much more interesting. In addition to the dining room, there was a ball room, a games room, a training room, a kitchen, three bathrooms, an indoor pool and two living rooms. In the basement was a massive library. Most of the books seemed very old and had to do with history, or genealogy. One book caught her attention. It looked quite old and had gold corner protectors and a clasp with a keyhole like one would find on a diary. On the front was a picture of some sort of winged lion above the word 'Clow'. Sakura decided that she wanted to read the book, and returned to her room with it making sure that she left a card to mark where she should return the book to when she was finished with it.

When she returned to her room and tried to open the book, the clasp seemed to be locked. She tried twisting it, pulling it, pushing down like on a child-proof bottle of pills and even tried using a hair pin to pick the lock. All her efforts seemed to be fruitless, so after an hour, she placed the book on the bedside table, collapsed on her bed and watched T.V. until it was time for supper.

She went to the dining room. Yelan, Fuutie, Sheifa, Fanren, and Feimei were already there waiting.

"Where's Syaoran?"

"He has not yet returned from searching for you." Wei said. Sakura began to worry. It had been over two hours. She had expected him to give up long before this. After the meal was finished, he still had not returned

* * *

Finally, at eight o'clock, Sakura was getting really worried and left the house to search for him. It was late, and dark, and she was scared, but it was her fault he was still out here somewhere. First she headed to the school. She did not see him there. She began to search around the school in an approximate spiral pattern until she found herself lost. By this time, the moon was high in the sky and the moon bathed the city in an ethereal silver glow. Sakura was very scared now. She was lost, it was dark and spooky, and it looked like she had wandered out of the good part of the neighbourhood. She began to run, hoping to find a phone or public building where she could be safe and get Wei to pick her up. The streets just kept getting darker, danker and more foreboding.

"Something wrong?" A man stepped out of the shadows and asked, "I am sure I can help you, if you help me."

"I am fine." Sakura lied, "I have to go." She turned and began to walk the other way, but her exit was blocked by another man.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with us? You look lost. You can stay with us for the night." Sakura trembled as she saw the glint of a blade concealed in the man's sleeve. The two men were advancing on her slowly, as if trying not to spook her. It wasn't working. She saw a fire escape dangling nearby and bolted for it. She began to climb, but one of the men grabbed her and pulled her down. He easily wrestled her down and slammed her to the ground. Sakura screamed.


	3. Critters

**CH3: Critters**

* * *

"That's a good girl. Scream. It makes the game more fun." He leaned in to give her a kiss, but never made it. A brown blur slammed into the man knocking him into the wall. The man fell to the ground unconscious. The second man was backing away slowly. He should have run. Large fangs dug into his throat as the creature tackled him as well. The creature went back to finish off the first man. All through this, the creature was unnaturally silent. Its muzzle was covered in blood. Its amber eyes turned towards Sakura, sparkling with intelligence. Sakura couldn't move a muscle. This creature, some sort of wolf, was not a natural animal. She was sure of it. She recognized it was the wolf from her dream, but this one seemed much more menacing. It had just easily killed two grown men. It wasn't even panting from the effort. There was no escaping this creature. It began to move towards her, slowly and deliberately. Its penetrating eyes were showing no malice nor bloodlust but determination. It did not quell her fears. Before the wolf reached Sakura, her brain gave out under the massive load of stress and fear and she fainted.

* * *

"Is she alright?" Yelan asked as Sakura's eyes blurrily opened.

"She has a few bruises but there does not seem to be any significant damage." A young man in a suit replied.

"Ugghn?" Sakura moaned and sat up. She was on the couch in the living room.

"How are you feeling?" Yelan asked. She was coddling Sakura as if she were a toddler.

"Okay, I guess." She noticed her arms were scraped and she had a lump on the back of her head and she was a little stiff, but there was nothing worth complaining about. Her clothes were ripped though and they would need to be replaced.

"If you have any lingering pain, please bring her to see me."

"Thank you Dr. Ling."

"Please, call me Hi." Ling Hi smiled and shook the hand of Li Yelan, ruffled Sakura's hair and left.

After the doctor left, Yelan, in an action rather out of character for the regal looking woman, wrapped her arms around Sakura supportively. "Tell me what happened." It was a command, but a gentle one.

"I was looking for Syaoran. It was really late, and I was worried that something might have happened to him. I thought that if he found me he'd come home since that was the reason he left. But then I got lost and there were these two guys who trapped me in an alley. I tried to run…" Sakura wiped her nose on her sleeve, "They caught me. One of them grabbed me and then he was on top of me but then a wolf came and killed both of them. Then I woke up here."

"It is okay." Yelan soothed her, gently swaying with her arms still holding Sakura who was now sobbing gently as the full magnitude of what could of happened hit her. As she was held in the woman's arms, she couldn't help but with that her own mother was there to do this for her. Since that would never happen, she was glad to have this woman with her, even if she was Li's mother and not her own. It felt almost like she had a mother again. Soon she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Where's Sakura? Is she all right?" Tomoyo had been pestering Li ever since he arrived at school.

"She's at home, she's not coming today!" Syaoran final relented angrily to the girl's pestering.

"Will she be back tomorrow?"

"I don't know! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Syaoran screamed as he tried to escape the girl's persistent questioning. She was not the only one. Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko had also been pestering him about her. Sakura had only come to school for one day and now it seemed like everyone wanted to talk to him about her. He had even had some guys come and ask for tips on getting Sakura to like them. The girl was driving him crazy. It was worse than having Meiling hanging off his arm, at least then she was the only one bothering him instead of him being flooded with people pursuing him for whatever reasons they had.

"We should visit her." Naoko said, "If she isn't feeling well then maybe we can bring her some soup or something." The other girls hastily agreed and Li realized that there was no way he would be getting out of it.

* * *

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Tomoyo shouted as they burst into Sakura's room unannounced after school.

"Hoe?..." Sakura woke up, "Ohayou, Tomoyo-chan… Rika-chan, Chiharu-chan, Naoko-chan," Sakura sneezed, "Gomennasai, Yamazaki-kun."

"That's okay," Yamazaki wiped the spray off his face, "Did you know that Eskimos consider sneezing on someone to be a friendly greeting?"

"Really?"

"The messier the sneeze, the happier you were to see a person."

"Enough lying Yamazaki!" Chiharu dragged him away from where he'd popped up beside Sakura.

"That was a lie?" Sakura asked, embarrassed that she had fallen for his stories again.

"How are you feeling?" Rika asked, "Li-kun told us that you were home sick today."

"Hoe?" she looked at her alarm clock, "HOEEE! I'm late!" She grabbed her clothes and dashed towards the bathroom, "I…"

"Missed school completely." Naoko finished. Sakura sighed and finished her trek to the bathroom. She returned a minute later and collapsed on the bed.

"I made you some chicken soup to help you feel better." Rika handed Sakura a container and a spoon.

"Arigatou," Sakura said. She grabbed a tissue from beside the bed and blew her nose. She wondered how Syaoran had known she wouldn't feel well. No one else had come to talk with her since the previous night when she had gone to bed. In fact she hadn't even known until this point since she had been asleep the whole time. She guessed that being out half the night had worn her out. She was really hungry though, since it had been almost an entire day since she had last eaten. She opened the container of soup. "Sugoi!" She exclaimed, "You are really good at cooking." Rika smiled at the compliment.

The girls gave Sakura the day's homework, and despite Yamazaki's impromptu lessons in falsehoods, they managed to complete their homework. "I'll see you tomorrow." Sakura said when they were done. Despite the amount of sleep she had gotten, she was still very tired and went back to bed once they left.

* * *

"Hrrrrk-snrrrrr…rrr… Hrrrrk-snrrrrr…rrr…" Sakura woke up to a strange sound in the night.

"Is someone there?" She asked. She looked around suspiciously, but saw no one. There was, however, a strange glow emanating from the book she had picked up in the Li library. The sound was coming from the same place. She picked up the mysterious book and ran her fingers over it. The book seemed different this time. It felt warm, like it was alive. As her fingers passed over the clasp, there was a flash of light. When the light faded, the clasp was open. Sakura nervously opened the cover. "Cards?" She looked at the top one. "The Move." She read. A golden circle with a sun and a moon appeared and the cared glowed. Surprised, Sakura dropped the book. The magic circle faded and the move card was no longer on top of the deck. "What happened?" Sakura reached to pick up the next card in the deck. Just before her fingers reached it, it disappeared and reappeared across the room. She ran after it. Once again, it disappeared before she could get to it. She looked around. The cards were now scattered all over the room. She ran to get one, but like the others, it disappeared. The process continued like this until all the cards had all disappeared. She let herself fall onto the bed, knowing that whatever had just happened would probably cause her a lot of trouble. She shifted her weight and noticed something under her was slightly harder than the bed sheets. She pulled one of the cards from between the sheets where both she and whatever force had taken the cards had missed it.

"Why must someone always disturb you the minute you settle down for a nap!" The book was glowing brightly and a small yellow creature emerged. "Where are the cards!" It yelled, searching frantically around the book.

"What are you?"

"I am Keroberos, the guardian beast of the seal." The little creature answered, "What did you do with the cards?"

"These?" Sakura asked hesitantly as she held out the card that she had found in her bed.

"The Jump." The creature said as he flew up and took the card from her, "Good, now where are the rest?"

"They… umm… sort of disappeared." Sakura laughed nervously.

"You have got to get them back then. If you don't a horrible disaster will occur."

"NANI?!"

"The Clow Cards contain powerful magic and if you don't get them back terrible things will happen."

"How am I supposed to get the Clow Cards?" Sakura asked. Keroberos glowed for a second and a key appeared floating above a glowing circle like the one that had appeared when she read the move card.

"Take hold of the key." Sakura did as she was told. "Now repeat after me, 'Key that hides the power of darkness,'"

"Key that hides the power of darkness," Sakura repeated.

"I, then say your name, the appointed one of Keroberos, command you"

"I, Sakura, the appointed one of Keroberos, command you"

"Under the contract to reveal your true form."

"Under the contract to reveal your true form."

"Release!"

"Release!" Energy flowed into the key in her hands like wind and it transformed into a wand.

"That is the sealing wand. You can use it to reseal the cards and activate the cards you have in your possession. Try using the jump card. Just throw it into the air, call its name, and strike it with the sealing wand." Sakura threw the card up and it seemed to hover in the air in front of her,

"Jump card!" She struck it with the sealing wand. Miniature wings appeared at her ankles. She took a step, "Hoee!" Instead of travelling a foot forward, she was thrust over her bed and all the way across the room.

"Now let's go find some Clow Cards!" Kero shouted, posing victoriously. Sakura opened her window to the night air.


	4. The Capture

**CH4: The Capture**

* * *

Sakura shimmied down a drainpipe that was conveniently located outside of her window. Kero assured her that the jump card would have kept her safe had she leapt from the window, but she was not yet ready to trust her life to unknown forces.

Once on the ground, Sakura leapt into the air, testing the powers of the card. To her surprise she managed to leap right across the garden and land on the wall that surrounded the Li mansion. As she continued leaping, she quickly loosened up and leaped without restraint, enjoying the freedom that the ability to leap over small buildings in a single bound gave her. She also was quite impressed with the fact that it seemed to help her land flawlessly every time, no matter how small the target or how high she jumped. Within fifteen minutes, she was leaping from building to building, over rooftops, like she was some sort of superhero on the prowl. She came to a stop on the top of vertical beam jutting out on an office building under construction. She could see the lights of Hong Kong glittering for miles in all directions.

"Sugoi!" She stood there in awe. Unlike on the previous night, when she had been walking through the streets of a neighbourhood similar to this one, the light of the full moon made the city look and feel magical instead of scary. "Kero-chan?"

"Uhmm?" Kero grunted in response. He was breathing heavily and was now slumped down on her shoulder. Following her had been a tiring pursuit. He was definitely riding on the way back.

"Why was I able to open the book tonight?"

"It was destiny. It was your fate to open the book, and it cannot be avoided. No matter what, somehow, the book would have come into your possession and you would have opened it."

"But why tonight. Yesterday, the seal wouldn't budge. What changed?"

"The seal can only be broken by magic. Either you didn't try to use magic before, or you couldn't." Kero thought for a minute, "Sometimes a person never realizes their magic potential just because they don't know they can. Magic is a rare gift, found in only one of every three hundred people. In most, it is so weak that it is not even worth mentioning. In others, like Clow Reed, it is strong. Sorcerors as strong as Clow Reed are very rare, there should be hundreds of them alive, but most do not realize they have the power within them… Sometimes it takes a traumatic event to awaken their powers."

"I don't think I can do this."

"You can do it, and you will. You released the cards and it is your duty to capture them again, or else a great tragedy will befall the earth."

"I know… But… I am no great magician, how am I supposed to capture these cards? I don't know where they went, and I doubt I would know what to do even if I found them."

Kero alighted from her shoulder, "I'll help you, you have the power you need to capture them or you would not have been able to open the book. I'll teach you what you need to know."

"Arigatou." Sakura glanced around, "Kero-chan, what is that?" She pointed towards a park a few blocks away. It was filled with trees. One of them, however, towered above all the others. In fact it seemed to be suspended above the entire park by its great arching roots. Its trunk stretched up at least twenty stories before its branches exploded outwards. At the top, the outline of a woman's body could be seen emerging from the branches and stretching towards the moon.

"It's a Clow Card." Kero said, "It looks like you are lucky, because The Wood is a very gentle spirit. If you can get close enough to her, you should have no trouble sealing it." Sakura nodded in determination. She had to try at least; after all it was her fault they had escaped. She didn't know what to expect, but she steeled herself and leapt towards the tree. "Hey!" Kero protested, trying to keep up with the girl leaping from rooftop to rooftop, "Wait for me!"

* * *

Sakura surveyed the little park the Wood Card was towering over. It seemed like such a simple matter when she had seen it from atop the skyscraper, but at its base she could see that this was not so. She leapt for an undulation in one of the roots that extended up above her, but before she could reach it, it had grown to the point that instead of landing on it, Sakura ended up hanging off a vine below it. She slowly made her way up to the point where she could get a foothold in the giant creases of the root's bark and leapt toward another root, this time landing safely on top of it. Following his root, she leapt towards the trunk. The steep verticals as it approached the tree's trunk actually did little to hinder her progress thanks to the wide cracks in the bark that she could always use to find foot holds to launch her next leap. The hardest part was actually climbing the trunk until she could jump to the lower branches. The straight vertical climb eventually had her shimmying up a cord of wood. Even with the jump card, this process was very tiring and Sakura had to stop for a long rest when she reached the lowest branch.

"Sakura! Wake up!" Fuzzy paws prodded her.

"Just a minute." Sakura tried to roll over and go back to sleep and would have fallen out of the tree had Kero not caught her. "HoeEEEE!" Sakura noticed her position in the tree, or rather the lack thereof and scrambled to get back onto the branch much to the tiny Kero's relief.

"Did you just forget about the Clow Card that has taken over the park and now half a block of the city?"

"It grew that much?" Sakura looked out at the city and realized that she was actually much higher than she had been when she had started her little rest. The roots had begun to spread into the city and were now causing damage to the roads and nearby buildings. "We have got to stop it before someone gets hurt." She said as a chunk of concrete dropped from one of the buildings. Her staff had transformed back into the key while she had slept and the jump had found its way into her pocket. "Key that hides the power of darkness, I, Sakura, command you under the contract to reveal your true form. Release!" The key one again grew into the staff. "Jump card" She threw the card up and struck it with her staff. She resumed her climb with a determination that had not been present when she had started up the tree. She leaped from branch to branch, higher and higher, until the branches could no longer support her weight. She could see the bottom half of the spirit of the wood card between her and the canopy of the tree.

"Now command the card to return to its true form and strike it with the sealing wand!" Kero told her.

"Ok." Sakura leapt toward the card. "Return to your true form. Clow Card!" she swung the staff but she had already begun her descent. As she descended, a gust of wind blew her off course and she was not within reach of any branches that could hold her. "AIEEEE!" she screamed, as she plummeted towards her death. She closed her eyes and hoped for a miracle, and suddenly she was gently jerked to a halt less than halfway down the tree. When she opened her eyes, she saw a vine wrapped around her leg that lowered her gently to a branch that seemed to resemble a leafy nest that had been made just for her. The vine that had caught her gently released her and the wood itself came down through the branches. It placed a green hand on Sakura's cheek and looked very worried.

"Arigatou…" Sakura said, "You saved me." The wood nodded and smiled as if happy that Sakura was now safe. The wood then transformed into a card of its own will and came to rest in Sakura's hand.

Sakura, noticing that the sky was brightening decided it would probably be best to get back to the house. As she leapt onto the rooftop of the nearest house, she glanced around and saw a brown wolf with amber eyes sitting in the shadows watching her. She stopped when she landed and turned to get a better look, but the creature was gone.

* * *

Sakura managed to get back to the mansion just a few minutes after sunrise and convinced Kero that he had to stay in her room and hide if anyone came in. Five o'clock! Sakura pulled on her training clothes and ran out to the dojo in the back of the house. She was an hour late for the family lessons, but hopefully they would forgive her based on the sickness of the previous day.

"Sorry, I'm late!" She gasped as she burst into the room. Two of the elders were there, apparently meditating, but there was no sign of Syaoran.

"It was Syaoran's responsibility to ensure that you were awakened at the proper time." One of them said, "But, it appears that today he was unable to even wake himself." Sakura was relieved. They seemed not to blame her at all. "Of course, we never intended for you to take the Wednesday and Saturday lessons, we were unsure if you would be prepared for them. It appears, however," He said while studying her intently, "that Yelan was correct in including you in all the lessons."

The other produced a book and placed it on the floor then gestured that Sakura should sit down. "The Li clan is not the most powerful family in china merely because they are good businessmen. Our history contains many secrets that most people do not know, and many who do ignore it as mere fairy tales." He turned the book so it faced her and she could read the title, 'The book of Clow'. Sakura's eyes widened as she read the name and she fingered the key that hung around her neck.

"Clow." She said, "…"

"Hundreds of years ago, there was no Li clan. The first patron of the Li clan was a man who went by the name of Clow Reed." He opened the book and revealed an illustration of a man surrounded by the symbol that appeared when she activated her key: A circle with a sun and a moon inside.


	5. Family History

**CH5: Family History**

* * *

"What makes you think that I would be ready to hear a story about your family being descendants of a sorceror?" Sakura asked, wondering if they had somehow already discovered what had gone on last night. However, now that she thought of it, it did make sense that the Lis came from sorcerors. The way that Syaoran's mother seemed to be able to know what was going to happen before it did meant either that she had the best women's intuition in the world or that she was magically inclined herself.

"Who said anything about sorcery?" The elder said, "I only mentioned his name." He was smiling, playing with her. He knew… or at least suspected and had from the moment she had entered the room.

"I got it from a book in the library." Sakura laughed nervously. Technically she wasn't lying. She had learned everything she knew about real magic from the Clow book and its contents.

"There are no books in the library that contain any mention of Clow Reed, they are all in the private family archives that are, according to the rules set for you by Yelan, off limits to you." He paused for a moment as if waiting for a response, and when none was forthcoming he continued, "Or perhaps we should assign someone to escort you from now on… Li?" Syaoran entered looking very tired and twitched in irritation but said nothing.

"I… Have to go to the bathroom, bye!" Sakura raced out the door, pushing Syaoran out of the way. She headed to the house, rushed into her room, and locked herself in, wondering why she had hesitated to tell them what they apparently already knew, or at least suspected. It just didn't seem right to her that she should let everyone know about her new abilities. She was like a superhero now, able to leap over tall buildings and such. She needed to protect her identity.

Someone knocked on the door. "Open up." Syaoran called.

"…" She heard the sound of a key turning in the lock and the door opened. Li pushed the door open.

"Why couldn't you just tell them the truth?!" He yelled grabbing her threateningly, "Why do you have to ruin my life!"

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything to you!" Sakura shouted back.

"You have done everything to ruin my life!" he pushed her roughly against the wall, "You took the place of Meiling. She was the only friend I could trust. Then, Okaa-san turns me into your personal servant. After only one day of school, half the class now constantly pesters me about you." He took a deep breath, "And now, I have to babysit you all-day every day because you won't admit to stealing my birthright. Why did the book have to accept you! Why are you the damn card captor!" Li punched the wall beside her head. His fist passed right through the plaster.

"I'm sorry." Sakura whimpered, trying to pull away from his grip.

"You should just give them to me. I was trained for this my whole life."

"No." Sakura struggled harder to escape his grasp, "Let me go!"

"Not until you give me the Clow Cards!"

"Leave her alone!" A yellow blur shot out from under the bed and sank its teeth into Syaoran's hand.

"Oww! What the heck is this thing?" Li had finally stopped harassing Sakura and had turned his attention towards attempting to pry the yellow creature off his hand.

"That's Keroberos."

"This puny stuffed animal is the legendary guardian beast? No wonder it chose someone as weak as you."

"I am not a stuffed animal." Kero yelled, releasing Li's hand and flying obnoxiously into his face. "And for your information, Sakura is more powerful than you will ever be. I was not chosen as the elector for nothing."

"We will see. Sakura may be your choice, but I am the one who will be the card master." He flicked the creature away from his face. Before things could escalate further, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Sakura announced cheerfully, anxious to get out of there.

"I am coming too." Syaoran grunted and followed her as she headed out of her room and down the stairs.

* * *

"Touya!" Sakura exclaimed gleefully as she glomped her brother who now stood on the front step of the Li residence.

"Ohayo, kaijyuu." He replied, "Who's the gaki?" He gestured disdainfully towards Syaoran.

"He… is not important. What matters is that you're here! Why are you here?"

"One word: Nakuru." Touya replied.

"What is a Nakuru?"

"Eriol's annoying cousin. She can't leave me alone, so I decided that since Eriol has family to keep him company so should-"

"Yukito-san!" Sakura cried, forgetting all about Touya and greeting his friend instead.

"Ughn?" Syaoran suddenly started paying attention. "Yukito?"

"Konnichiwa!" Tsukishiro Yukito replied giving the younger ones a smile.

"Gaki!" Touya addressed Li as he walked towards where Yukito and Sakura were standing with a pile of luggage.

"…" Syaoran glared at Sakura's brother menacingly, and received a cold stare in return.

"I better not catch you anywhere near my sister." Touya said.

"I'll do what I want, when I want, how I want, and if you don't like it, I can arrange for you to have nowhere to stay within visiting distance of your sister.

Touya smirked, "Really? Your mother already invited us to live here."

"Are you sure you want to?" Li smirked, "Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanren, Feimei! There are some guys at the door who would love to meet you." Screams of delight were heard and the four sisters came rushing out to meet Touya and Yukito.

"Get off me!" Touya struggled in vain to escape the clutches of the Li sisters.

"So handsome!"

"Is it true he is staying here?"

"He is almost as cute as Sakura!"

"I would have been better off back with Nakuru." Touya sighed as he was thoroughly welcomed by the girls until they were satisfied and dragged him inside the mansion.

"Can I help you with the luggage?" Li asked Yukito after a moment of hesitation.

"Thank you. Could you please take Touya's suitcase to his room and show me where I'll be staying?" He picked up his own bags and prepared for Li to show him where they would be staying. Li grunted in acknowledgement and picked up the remaining suitcase.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they had breakfast. It was mostly eaten in silence except for the constant ramblings of the Li girls. Syaoran was exceptionally polite much to Sakura's surprise. Based on their earlier argument, she expected him to be harsh with her until one of them or the other was he master of all the Clow Cards.

"You should probably head to school now." Li stated calmly, when the meal was almost finished, "You are on cleaning duty today and are supposed to arrive fifteen minutes early."

"HOEE!" Sakura jumped from her chair and ran to put on her roller blades. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?! School starts in twenty minutes!" She was out the door faster than Li believed possible.

"She's slow today." Touya pointed out. He was not at all impressed by Sakura's practiced lateness.

* * *

"Sakura chan!" Tomoyo was waiting for her at an intersection half-way to school.

"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura replied with a smile and wave. She slowed down to let Tomoyo keep pace with her.

"My mother left for a business trip at three this morning." Tomoyo said, "She gave me this just before she left." She revealed an expensive looking video camera. "I thought I would use it to tape Sakura's kawaii moments."

"Why me?" Sakura said, fearing what might come next.

"Of course all Sakura moments are kawaii moments!" Tomoyo giggled. "Luckily for me, I decided to test the camera immediately. Look at what I recorded this morning." She flipped the view screen open and played a scene.

"HOE!" She cried as she saw a few seconds of the video which clearly showed a figure making an impossible leap from one rooftop to another over the rising sun.

"And that's not all." Sakura was getting very nervous now, this girl was so close to discovering her magical secret. Tomoyo pressed a few buttons and the picture zoomed, clearly revealing Sakura as the jumper with a small yellow creature flying next to her.

"HOEEE!" Sakura tripped over a crack in the pavement and fell flat on her face.

"What was that? Is it a Clow Card?" Kero zipped out of his hiding place in her backpack.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo cried as she saw the cutest little flying stuffed animal, "It can talk too!" The camera had instantly transitioned into recording mode and was positioned to capture Sakura who had lifted herself into a kneeling position.

"Kero! What are you doing here?! Someone will see you." She plucked him out of the air and shoved him back into her school bag.

"Hey! Watch it, these textbooks have corners you know!"

"Please don't tell anyone!" Sakura begged Tomoyo.

"Of course I won't say anything, that way I will be the only one to film Sakura-chan." Tomoyo replied with a smile. "We had better hurry, or we will be late."

* * *

"Could you please show me?" Daidouji asked innocently after Sakura and Kero had had explained all about the cards over a lunch in a secluded spot on the playground.

"Come on, no-one is looking." Kero had been taking Tomoyo's side ever since she had fed him a slice of strawberry cake that she had made herself.

"Okay." Sakura took a deep breath and looked around, seeing no one else, she took out the key. "Key that hides the power of darkness, … do you have to film this?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo nodded and smiled.

"You can do it Sakura-chan."

"I, Sakura, command you under the contract to reveal your true form. Release!" Bright light shone from the key and the winds, drawn by magical energy swirled around it as it grew into the form of the sealing wand.

"If you are just going to waste the magic like this, you might as well give it all to me." Li surprised both girls as he dropped down in between them from out of the tree he had been hiding in.

"Hoee!" Sakura exclaimed. She had not even realized that he had been there. He tried to grab the wand, but Sakura backed away from him. A sword flashed out from behind his back, striking her staff and almost knocking it out of her hands.

"Li! What's wrong with you? Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"The magic doesn't belong to you."

"Jump!" she dodged another strike of his sword and landed in the tree that Li had dropped out of.


	6. ContradictorLi

**CH6: ContradictorLi**

* * *

Li stopped for a second then leapt over the wall and out of the school grounds.

"Sugoi!" Tomoyo exclaimed as Sakura descended from the tree.

"You didn't film all of that did you?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Of course I did." Tomoyo smiled, "I can't wait for another chance to make a kawaii Sakura-chan video."

"Sakura! Tomoyo!" Chiharu appeared from around the corner, dragging Yamazaki by the ear. Kero stiffened, pretending to be a stuffed animal. He slumped on Tomoyo's shoulder and Sakura hastily hid the wand behind her back and willed it to return to normal.

* * *

"Don't you think Li was acting strange today?" Tomoyo asked after school as they walked together.

"Hai." Sakura replied affimatively, "He was ever really nice to me, but he has never really tried to hurt me before. He tried to take the cards once before though, but it was different this time."

"What was different?" Li asked, appearing behind them, just entering hearing range.

"No… Nothing!" Sakura responded edging away from him.

"Whatever…" Li passed them without looking back.

"Would you like to come and sleep over at my house tonight?" Tomoyo asked, moving the subject away from the mood boy.

"Hai!" Sakura replied, "But I will have to tell my brother where I am first or he will worry."

"Here you can use my phone, that way we can go straight to my house."

"Arigatou!" Sakura accepted the phone and dialled the Li mansion.

* * *

"Li residence. To whom may I direct your call?"

"Wei, it's Sakura. Is onii-chan there?"

"One minute please Sakura-san, I will fetch him."

"Kaijyuu's roar is so loud; it stretches even to this distant land"

"I am not a kaijyuu!" Sakura replied to her brother's greeting.

"So what's up KAIJYUU?"

"I am not coming back tonight."

"NANI?"

"I am staying at Daidouji-san's house." Sakura replied.

That was a girl right? Touya hadn't had a chance to learn about Sakura's friends yet. "Wait, did you say Daidouji? As in Aunt Sonomi?"

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"You probably don't remember but Mother would take us to visit Aunt Daidouji Sonomi when we were younger. You used to play with her daughter. She moved to China after okaa-san passed away."

"…"

* * *

"Tomoyo, what is your mother's name?" Sakura asked, somewhat sadly; her levity decreased by the mention of what had happened to her mother.

"Sonomi Daidouji, CEO of Daidouji Toy co." Tomoyo replied cheerfully.

"That means… You are my cousin!"

"SUGOI!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "That means that Sakura-chan will come over more often to let me film kawaii moments!" Sakura sweat dropped. It hadn't been the reaction she had been expecting.

* * *

They arrived at the Daidouji mansion a few minutes later.

"Sugoi! It is so big." Sakura exclaimed. It was not as large as the Li complex, but it was still very impressive. Unlike the Li mansion, this mansion was more in the western style and its grounds stood out stunningly from the other rather large houses that surrounded it. Despite the size of the building around her, Sakura could see parts of the Li complex rising above it and it appeared that it would only be a short walk to return there and she would be hard pressed to get lost on the way.

Tomoyo led her along the drive past a series of rose bushes. Beyond them lay large expanses of grass with the occasional bushes trimmed into animal shapes. Beyond that, she could see various groves of flowering trees, such as the sakura and the peach.

They entered the main building and a maid greeted them. Tomoyo asked for tea for three to be delivered to her room, despite the woman's confusion at there being only two of them there to consume it.

"There is something that I want you to see." Tomoyo dragged Sakura upstairs to her room and threw open her closet doors.

"What is all this?" Sakura looked at an array of strange clothes spread out before her.

"I made these outfits, now Sakura can look kawaii in them and capture the Clow Cards!"

"Are you sure?"

"Here try this on." Tomoyo plucked a short pink dress off the rack. It had a yellow bow and pairs of white boots and elbow length gloves with pink stripes on the rims. Tomoyo handed the outfit to Sakura. "Sakura outfits must be sized perfectly for maximum kawaii factor."

Sakura, though dubious of whether she actually wanted to wear the embarrassingly weird outfit, succumbed to Tomoyo's insistence and changed into the outfit. Kero, utterly bored with watching Tomoyo and Sakura playing dress up before it even began, took advantage of Tomoyo's extremely large television to watch a rerun of a police detective show.

* * *

Later that night, after Tomoyo had put the finishing touches on several outfits for Sakura and they were watching movies, Sakura began to shiver.

"Is something wrong Sakura?"

"It feels weird, like someone is watching us."

"I sense it too." Kero chimed in, "There, outside the window!" The girls turned just in time to see a shadow disappear from a tree branch. "That's no ordinary pervert, I sensed magic."

"Perfect!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "Now I can film Sakura-chan in one of my outfits. Quick, Put this one on!" Tomoyo shoved the first outfit they had completed that night into Sakura's arms so that she could change into it.

"Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me. I, Sakura command you under the contract. Release!" Sakura opened the window and used the jump card to get out. Kero-chan helped Tomoyo to descend quickly.

"Sakura, try to sense where the magic is." Kero instructed.

"I can't sense anything." Sakura replied.

"Close your eyes and concentrate." Sakura obeyed. A few seconds later she sensed something and followed it out to a grove of trees. The wind whipped up petals from the tree blossoms creating a beautiful swirl of pink and white before forming into the form of a woman. She smiled and transformed into a card on her own. It was The Windy.

"That was easy." Sakura said, "I didn't have to do anything."

"That's because Windy is a very gentle spirit. It doesn't like to fight or cause trouble. In that way, it is like the wood. Don't let down your guard around the other cards though, some of them can be very disagreeable."

"In that case, why not just hand them over to me." Li stepped out of the shadows, "I can handle them, no matter how aggressive they are." He lunged at her, trying to take The Windy.

"Why are you doing this Li?" Sakura backed up to avoid his grasping hands.

"The cards don't belong to you. You shouldn't have them."

"Sakura! Don't listen to him. Fight if you have to. Show the gaki who is boss!"

"You want the Windy Card that much… WINDY! Bind him." The woman streamed out of the card. Tendrils of air stretched out to wrap Li's limbs, but he dodged several and the others he broke through easily.

"If that's all you can do, you will never beat me!" He drew a sword from a scabbard on his back and leapt at her. She dodged the first, and the second slash never even came close to the target thanks to the windy buffeting him into a tree. He pushed off the tree, straight towards the windy, splitting the manifestation in half. As the Windy reformed, he struck out towards Sakura.

"Arrgh!" A bolt of lightning leapt from the shadows, saving Sakura at the last second. A brown wolf with bright amber eyes stepped out into the moonlight and howled. Sakura didn't know what to do: Attack Li, or run from this creature.

"Sakura, that is no ordinary wolf…" Kero stated. Li stood up. He seemed unharmed by the electrical blast that had hit him. A growl rose from the wolf's throat. It bared its fangs at Syaoran and flames flickered in its mouth. With a bark, a fireball leapt from him and smashed into Syaoran who was knocked down again. "You have got to keep him down somehow, or else he will keep attacking."

"Wood Card! Bind his arms and legs with strong roots that will not break." The card did as asked and Li was quite solidly held against the ground.

"You can't keep me here forever."

"I doubt anyone would miss you." Sakura replied, "You are not the real Syaoran."

"Of course I'm the real Syaoran!" He replied, "Who does it look like I am."

"Walking home from school, and in class; that was the real Li. You attacked me at lunch and this evening, something Syaoran wouldn't do." Sakura stopped to think for a second, "You may look like him but you aren't him. He tried to take the cards from me once, but he never really tried to hurt me. He even risked himself, staying out most of a night looking for me, after he ditched me on the way home from my first day of school. He may be cold and arrogant, but he is really a good person. If you aren't him… You must be a Clow Card."

"Sakura, I think I know which card this is." Kero said, "It is The Mirror. Seal it before it escapes!"

"Mirror Card, return to your true form!" Sakura struck the fake Li with the wand. He dissolved into the shape of a girl holding a mirror before transforming into its card form. "Are you ok Tomoyo?" Sakura turned to her cousin and best friend in China.

"I am fine, I didn't miss anything." She smiled as she stopped the video camera's recording. "Sakura-chan must promise to let me tape all of her captures."


	7. A Timely Letter

**CH7: The Timely Letter**

* * *

"HOE!"

"What's wrong?" Kero asked.

"The mirror card! It's not here!" Sakura wailed, "I only looked away for a minute!"

"Look at this!" Tomoyo replayed the footage in the video camera.

'Clow Card, return to your true form!' The card reverted to its inert state. 'Are you ok Tomoyo?' While Sakura's back was turned, the card, instead of falling to the ground, floated over to the brown wolf who snatched it out of the air before disappearing into the shadows.

"We've got to get it back! Where did that wolf go?"

"Actually, Sakura, the cards go to the one who defeats them. That creature was the one who kept knocking it down and saving you, so the card chose it as its master." Kero said sagely. Sakura sighed.

* * *

Sakura woke to the sound of knocking on the window. "Uhhn?" The sun was just peeking over the edge of the horizon, and Li sat perched on the windowsill.

"What's Li doing here?" Tomoyo asked sleepily.

"I'll find out." Sakura stomped over to the window and threw it open. "This better be good!" Sakura said coldly, "or you will regret it."

"Lessons start in forty minutes." Li smirked, "Oh, and your brother said that you should be careful, your kaijyuu footsteps will tear down the whole house. He can hear them all the way from my house."

"Sakura's not a kaijyuu!" Sakura yelled. The only thing keeping her from flying out the window at him were the combined efforts of Kero and Tomoyo.

* * *

The lesson that day was long and boring. There had been no martial arts, or history, or anything that could have been remotely interesting, only math.

"Please!" Sakura begged Li, who was steadily getting more and more annoyed by her constant pleading for help. "I'll do anything!"

"Really? Anything?" Li asked with an evil grin.

"Within reason." Sakura replied cheerfully, knowing that he couldn't ignore her anymore.

"You will be my slave for the rest of the day, doing my chores, and any jobs I find for you."

"I don't think so. Who knows what you will have her do." Touya said, eyeing Syaoran suspiciously. "I'll help her, and she will do my chores instead."

"She asked for my help." Syaoran replied.

"But I am older, and smarter than you, therefore more able to help her."

"I got it!" Sakura interrupted.

Both Li and Touya cursed. They would have to do their own chores now.

* * *

Sakura went to her room after breakfast to prepare for school. There, she found a letter sitting on her bed. It was from Eriol. She opened it and began to read.

"_Kinomoto-san,_

_I t has been an honour to live at your house during my stay in Japan._

_Your father is doing well and has recently left for an archaeological dig in Egypt. He was very excited to go because a hidden tomb of an unknown pharaoh was discovered under one of the pyramids._

_As you most likely already know, your brother left here a few days ago to join you in China. My cousin Nakuru was quite disappointed. She thought that your brother was quite entertaining and wished he had stayed longer. On the bright side, however, she is happy that she now has her own room. She tells me to tell you to tell your brother 'sorry', and that he will know why when he gets back._

_Alas, it seems like the time goes by so quickly, almost as if by magic. It seems as if I just arrived here, but I have learned so much already. I hope you are enjoying China as much as I do Japan._

_Sincerely_

_Eriol Hiirigizawa_

_P.S. (Don't forget to sent your letters off soon, or else time will just fly by and you will be late. Remember, these are being marked as well as your school work.)_

_Mark: 99 - Isenas-Sensei_"

"Hoe! I completely forgot about the letters, they are due in two days!" Sakura grabbed her school bag and was about to head out the door when a knock came from the other side of it. When she opened it, she found Tomoyo standing outside the door of her room.

"Ohayo Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said. "Did you come to walk to school with me?"

"Sakura-chan, I came to see why you were not at school." Tomoyo replied, "School ended an hour ago, I was afraid you had gotten sick from the lack of sleep. But then I thought this would be a perfect time to get kawaii 'Sakura is Sick' videos - "

"HOEEE!" Sakura grabbed her alarm clock. Sure enough, eight hours had passed since she had entered the room. "That's impossible! I was only here for a few minutes to grab my bag, how could it have been eight hours!"

"Maybe you fell asleep and didn't realize it."

"LI SYAORAN! How dare you skip school." Yelan's voice was heard down the hall.

"What are you talking about? I have never skipped school." Li's voice replied confused.

"Then why is it that the principal just called to tell me that you weren't in school today?"

"School doesn't start for about an hour!"

"I guess I wasn't the only one." Sakura said, "But how could we have both lost eight hours and not realize it?"

"It sounds like the work of the time card." Kero said, popping out of Tomoyo's backpack."

"Oh!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I forgot, you left Kero-chan at my house, so I brought him for you."

"Oh!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I forgot, you left Kero-chan at my house, so I brought him for you."

"Oh!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I forgot, you left Kero-chan at my house, so I brought him for you."

"Tomoyo?..."

"Oh!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I forgot, you left Kero-chan at my house, so I brought him for you."

"Sakura!" Li burst into the room. "It's the time card!"

"I don't think so. Who knows what you will have her do." Touya said, eyeing Syaoran suspiciously. "I'll help her, and she will do my chores instead."

"Touya?" Sakura and Syaoran looked around, confused by the sudden jump in time.

"It happened again." Syaoran said.

"Touya?" Sakura asked noticing the way he seemed to have just stopped. He just stood there frozen.

"We have got to find it and seal it." Syaoran said. He took some sort of fortune-telling board from an altar at the rear of the room. "Show me the time card!" Lights glowed on the surface of the board. The lights moved back and forth along channels marked on the board before concentrating on one side and releasing a beam of light that pointed through one of the walls.

"What is that?" Sakura asked as she followed Li.

"It's a mystical compass known as the 'Laizen Board'. It can track any magic that does not have it in its field of influence." Syaoran replied surprisingly easily compared to his usual evasiveness towards her. "This way!" He led her out of the house and through a small wood in the back and leapt over the wall surrounding the estate.

"Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me. I, Sakura, command you under the contract. RELEASE! Jump card!" She leapt over the wall after him. "AHH!" Sakura cried out as Li leapt backwards over the wall, slamming into her at the peak of his flight. Sakura found herself on the ground on the same side of the wall as she had been on before she jumped. Li had fallen on the other side. She tried to leap over again, and managed without complications. Li was rubbing the back of his head which he had hit on the wall on his way down.

"We're not going to get it this time." Li said.

"We have to get it."

"Look at the sun." It disappeared over the horizon. The last rays of light vanished over the horizon in seconds. Syaoran curled up into a ball and began moaning in pain.

"Syaoran? What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He growled.

"No… You aren't fine." She could see the pain in his eyes, and the barely repressed tears that threatened to burst forth. She reached for him to comfort him as the moon reached its apex.

"What's Li doing here?" Tomoyo asked sleepily.


	8. Once Again Upon A Time

**CH8: Once Again Upon A Time**

* * *

"Tomoyo?" Sakura asked sleepily. Li impatiently forced the window open and entered the room.

"We have to go. The time card is waiting." Syaoran said.

"Time card? That sounds troublesome."

"Time card?" Sakura asked, blinking groggily at her rude awakening.

"We must make sure you are prepared to fight this card." Tomoyo stated sagely, "You cannot fight when not properly dressed." Sakura groaned, but allowed herself to be dragged to the closet where Tomoyo chose one of the outfits for her to wear, despite Syaoran's grumbling about needing to be quicker.

* * *

When Sakura exited the closet with Tomoyo, she was wearing a short yellow dress with a dark orange pattern consisting of two triangles and a rectangle that formed a shape that looked remarkably like an hourglass spanned her knees to her chest. She wore long yellow gloves and boots with white trim and metallic guards at wrist and ankles. Her hair was done up in white and orange bows.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo shouted, presenting her to Li who grunted and looked away,

"Let's go. We have a card to catch and we have no time to play dress up."

"Time card. That's a difficult one to catch." Kero said, "If it sees us coming, it will just reverse time, and we will have to do it all over again."

"Umm, Li?" Sakura asked, vaulting out the window after him, "Why did you come for me? I thought that you wanted the cards for yourself."

"Baka." Syaoran muttered, "You have the sealing wand. How the hell do you expect me to transform time into its card form without the sealing wand?" He glared at her, "What gave the stuffed animal the stupid idea that you would be useful as a card captor?"

"I am not a stuffed animal! I am the great and mighty and awesome Keroberos, the guardian beast of the seal!" Kero grunted. He was attempting to help Tomoyo follow Syaoran and Sakura over the wall of the estate.

"Guide us to the time!" Li said, taking the Laizen Board out of his sleeve. He took off at a run that Tomoyo had no chance of keeping up with, so Sakura took Tomoyo onto her back and used the jump card to keep pace.

* * *

They ended up at Victoria Harbour, staring up at the immense beginnings of the International Commerce Centre. Though incomplete, this one hundred and eight story building towered monstrously over them as the sky began to brighten from the orange glow of morning to the blue skies of day. The jump card, though its abilities were formidable, were no match for the height of this structure.

"I guess we take the stairs." Sakura commented as she marvelled at this feat of architecture. This plan seemed less and less intelligent as they climbed up the sparse innards of the building. They eventually reached the top, only to find time backed up to where they were once again at the bottom, only this time they were already tired out from climbing the monstrosity once already. Tomoyo, however, didn't even notice a shift in time at all. After a second attempt, they were truly tired and collapsed at the building's foundations, except for Tomoyo who having been .carried to the tower and not experiencing the effects of the time card was still fresh and filming.

"How can we possibly get up there?" Sakura asked as she slumped down, hyperventilating from the strain.

"We have to surprise the time card. If it sees us coming, it will just rewind us again, or worse rewind the day until midnight and force us to repeat the day again." Kero replied.

"Or we take it down from here." Syaoran took the pendant that the always wore around his neck and it extended into the sword that Sakura usually saw him use in martial arts training. He then produced an ofuda and hit the backside of it with the flat of his sword. "King of lightning, come to my aid!" A powerful blast of lightning arced from the ofuda to the top of the building.

"Hoe-eee!" Sakura cried as blocks of concrete, glass and steel rained down. "What was that!"

"Magic." Li replied, "You didn't think that the Clow Cards were the only form of magic did you?" He asked tauntingly. Sakura looked away, red with embarrassment. She had thought just that. "The Li clan is not revered just for its business and political connections. Our lineage is that of the greatest sorcerers in history. In fact it is extremely rare for a Li to have no magic. Though we are not the only magic clan, we are the most powerful, and have been ever since out line was founded through Clow Reed's mother."

"Won't you get in trouble for destroying a building?" Tomoyo asked, intruding on Li's display of familial superiority.

"No!" Syaoran replied.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, "You may be rich but that type of destruction costs a lot of money to repair."

"I missed." He replied shamefully just before time leapt backwards again.

When the blur of time reversing halted, they found themselves half-way back to Tomoyo's house.

"How are we supposed to catch it? It is so high, it sees us coming from a mile away." Sakura complained.

"I don't know, but there's no point in trying to catch it like this." Syaoran grumbled, "I'm going home."

* * *

Somehow, Sakura managed to return Tomoyo to her house and get back to the Li mansion in time for the family lessons… A repeat of the ones from the previous day.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" Touya demanded, as Sakura raced through the questions and got most of them right. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and finished with plenty of time for martial arts training, not that she needed any more exercise after repeatedly climbing the International Commerce Centre.

"Now, kick high." The elder told her. She complied. "Fully extend, or else you will not hit with full force. Kick again." Sakura kicked.

"Was that good?" She asked.

"Kick again." After this continued twenty times or so, she noticed that time was repeating itself in a twenty-second loop.

"Do you sense that?" Li whispered, appearing behind her.

"Sense what?" Sakura asked.

"The time card. It is here, let's go." Sakura followed him outside, despite Touya's demanding where she was going off to with that 'gaki'. "I don't think it was even up in the tower after the first time we climbed it. It's been following us and playing tricks on us this whole time."

"Why would it do that though?" Kero interjected; finally free to make an appearance, "The time card is usually very methodical and rhythmical and calm."

"Something must be aggravating it. Something tells me that, whatever it was, it will be visible from the tower." Syaoran replied before dashing off and leaping over the wall. Sakura followed soon after.

* * *

This time, they managed to reach the top of the tower and look out over the city without incident, (except for a brief run in with the construction workers whom they had to avoid as they arrived for work).

"Now what can you see that would make the time card agitated?" Kero pondered. Li closed his eyes and tried to sense any supernatural forces that may have caused some problem for the time card. Kero concentrated on thinking of what could have caused the problem, until his mind wandered to the subject of pudding. Sakura stood on the edge and gazed out over the city.

The sun traversed the sky at an accelerated rate, and as it began to pass over the horizon, Sakura exclaimed, "I know what the problem is." She pointed out across the town.

"What is it?"

"I don't see anything."

"Look, between the two buildings over there." Sakura explained, "the sun says it is at least 5:30, but the clock says it is only 1:20."

"Something must be protecting it from the effects of the time card." Kero mused, "If we make the clock work properly, maybe the time card will not be so aggressive and Sakura will get an opportunity to capture it."

Syaoran mumbled something about being able to have figured it out if he'd been given the chance and about the urgency of speed before jumping off the building towards the clock. "God of wind, come to my aid." A gust of wind was produced by an ofuda and slowed his descent, allowing him to land safely on the next building. Sakura used the jump card and leapt after him.

* * *

As they made their final approach towards the building with the clock on its face, Syaoran stumbled. He collapsed to one knee. He was using his sword for support and breathing heavily. "Damn, too slow." he gasped. He glanced up at the darkened sky.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, reminded of what had happened this time…today? Sakura ignored the date confusion and concentrated on Li's mysterious ailment.

"Go." He demanded, "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"Just fix the damn clock!" He snapped. Sakura, despite her concern, followed his order.


	9. In The Face Of Time

**CH9: In The Face Of Time**

* * *

The inside of the building was empty, or relatively so. It seemed to have been abandoned a long time ago. Sakura shivered as she saw the broken crates, dust and cobwebs. She wondered if this creepy old building was haunted. She climbed up a rickety steel ladder to an old catwalk that swayed and creaked. Its railings were dropping rusty paint fragments with every step. The clock could be seen though a mass of gears that created patterned areas of light and shadow from the moonlight streaming through the clocks translucent glass face which was supported and decorated with an iron lattice.

Sakura screamed and covered her head when Kero disturbed a bat that had been nesting in the beams not far above her head as she crept towards the clock face. It gave her a foreboding feeling. The catwalk came to an end at the center of the gears in full view of the clock face. There was a lever and a wheel that was attached to the system of gears. Sakura turned the wheel and the clocks hands began to move. Three o'clock. Three thirty. Four o'clock. Four thirty. DONG!

"What are you doing here!" A man with coveralls and a hard hat startled her. She screamed, not because of seeing the man, but because she saw through him.

"God of fire, come to my aid!" The man was blasted by fire from below. He was left unfazed by the attack.

"Li!" Sakura called glancing down to where she saw him down below, fighting alongside the wolf that had saved her twice now. They had troubles of their own. Spectres, not unlike the one she was faced with had appeared down below as well. They were attacking Li with wrenches, which seemed solid enough as he parried the blows with his sword. The wolf had no such sword to protect itself with, and the fire, wind, and lightning that it expelled passed right trough the men. Its teeth were effective though, but were only a temporary solution as the ghostly beings healed almost instantly.

"Don't just stand there. Do something!" Li shouted at her, but she couldn't move. She was frozen in fear as the man advanced on her down the catwalk.

"You don't belong here." The man said. Sakura backed away in fear until she was against the end of the catwalk. "I will show you what we do with little children who don't belong." He grabbed the railing and pulled. His muscles bulged and the rusty metal cracked and broke off into his hands. He swung the pole at her viciously, but luckily her training from the morning classes kicked in and she managed to dodge the blow however, she did not dodge the blow as gracefully as she had in class and slipped. She fell, hitting the lever which started the gears turning. She rolled away from another attack and kicked the man between the legs. It was more effective than she had hoped. The man fell backwards on to the catwalk and clutched his privates in obvious pain. Sakura leapt to her feet then, with the help of the jump card, on to one of the spinning gears. She leapt to the highest open gear she could. Syaoran and the wolf were still fighting. They were doing well for now. They had few if any injuries, but the spectres were getting up as fast as they could be knocked down.

"Wood card, bind the men." Roots and vines began to spring from the ground, wrapping around the arms and legs of the spectral men. The was the clank of metal hitting concrete as one of them phased through the wood. He had phased through his weapon as well, causing it to drop to the floor. Li swung his sword at the disarmed, but free man, and his sword passed right through the man's body.

Sakura heard Li call out something to her. She didn't hear what it was over her own screams as a ghostly hand grabbed her leg and began to pull her towards the edge where gears that could easily crush bone were grinding together. The arm passed through the gears before she did. With sickening snaps and crunches it released its hold on her as it was crushed and the man who had been chasing her fell to the ground with its head at an odd angle. Its body disappeared into a fines mist that dissolved into the air. The wolf and Li took a cue from this. The wolf slammed into one of the men, causing him to fall and be impaled on a broken board. Li grabbed a metal pipe and began using it like his own sword.

"It seems like they are connected to the building somehow. They can only be hurt using stuff that came from here." Kero said. Sakura turned away and covered her ears. As much as she disliked ghosts, she couldn't stand watching men, living or not, be brutally killed as was going on below her.

Sakura felt a hand grab her shoulder. She screamed and lashed out. Li caught her hand almost effortlessly. "It's over." He stated, "They are all gone." Sakura nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Her cheeks were wet. She had been crying and hadn't realized it. Suddenly, capturing Clow Cards didn't seem as exciting as before. She had no problem facing challenges of her own, but she couldn't stand seeing other people hurt.

"This isn't the time to be sitting around. We have to find out what created those things before it creates more." Kero told her.

"He's right." Syaoran responded curtly, not enjoying agreeing with the stuffed animal. He pulled out his laizen board. "Guide me to the soured of the spectres we fought." The board glowed for a moment, then faded. "Damn it, we can't find it this way, we are within the influence of whatever is causing this." He cursed.

"Sakura, try to sense where the power is." Kero told her. She nodded, closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She first began to feel her own aura surrounding her. A pink, soothing glow. Next, she found Li's aura, it felt green and seemed harder, more defined than her own, as if it had edges that were more solid than those of her own aura. Below was the wolf. It's aura, like Syaoran's, was green, but more dynamic and fused with tinges of silver. Next there was Kero. His aura bobbed in front of her, golden, and drawing from a dark purple aura that radiated from her staff.

"I can't sense it." She said. Everything else around was black.

"Of course you can sense it, even someone without magic could sense this power." Li stated, "It is everywhere around here, but I can't pinpoint the source."

"I can sense myself, you, Kero, the wolf, and even my staff, but everything else is black."

"That is the magic that we have been fighting." Li said, "Whatever it is, it is powerful and has a very dark aura. If there was nothing, you would sense nothing, not blackness." Sakura scowled. How was she supposed to know this? Up until less than a week ago, she hadn't even known that magic really existed, and now he expected her to know everything just because she was chosen as the card captor. She considered yelling at him, but decided against it. She closed her eyed and concentrated. The auras appeared again to her and she inspected the black, trying to find s point that was darker than the rest. It was difficult, but she managed to find it right in the center of the clock's face.

"There." She pointed and leapt, landing on a platform that was apparently used for maintenance and cleaning the clock face. A ladder went down from it and met with a fork of the catwalk. "Windy! Blow the dust from the clock face." Sakura instantly regretted jumping before doing that as the dust swirled around her. She coughed as windy did its task. When windy was done, however, the moonlight shone through brilliantly, and showed the beauty and craftsmanship that had gone into it. Embedded onto the end of the shaft that held the clock hands was a golden locket. She pried it out and read the inscription written on it aloud, "Dedicated to Tomae Yukin, beloved son, killed in the worker riot of 1887." Inside was a clock, like in one of those old pocket watches. On the cover was a picture of a young boy and his father, the man who Sakura had seen fall from the gears and die – again. Li snatched the locket from her and wrapped it in an ofuda.

"Killed by his own father." Syaoran said, "He couldn't forgive nor forget. His soul became tainted with darkness and trapped itself in this memento of his life." Sakura thought she could see a trace of emotion other than anger in his eyes, but it did not last long. "Let's go, we need to seal this away. The time card won't bother us tonight because it knows that if it does, this will return to where it was."

* * *

Li was right. It did not cause any trouble that night, but Sakura began to wish it had as she was called to the principal's office the next day.

"Not only did you skip school, but you have not prepared your assignment for the exchange program." Sakura cringed at the harshness in his voice. There was nothing she could do. There was no excuse she could give, at least none that did not make her appear to have lost her mind. She berated herself and prepared herself for the detention she knew she would receive that would not be over until she completed the assignment, writing a letter to the exchange student from Hong Kong to Russia, Li Meiling. She should have heeded the warning in Eriol's letter. Time had gotten away from her, in more ways than one.

"_Dear Meiling,_

_This first week of school in Hong Kong has been rather uneventful. Luckily, for me it has been an easy transition thanks to the fact that people in this area speak Japanese due to the amount of trade done with Japan. Li has been rather cold to me, ignoring me when he has no need, nor duty, to me. The rest of the family has been good to me. Yelan-sama has been especially gracious._

_I found a book in the library that had some information that I apparently was not supposed to learn about your family history. Though they were planning to teach me some of it, this book went into much detail of Clow Reed's activities. Now they think I went out of the boundaries that they had set for me in the Li complex. They have assigned Syaoran to escort me everywhere. He even has to sleep in my room in front of the door to prevent me from doing 'unwanted exploring' at night. My brother, who has also come to live here to escape the cousin of the exchange student who took my place, practically killed Li when he heard that he would be sleeping in my room._

_Sincerely_

_Kinomoto Sakura_"


	10. The Truth Will Set You Free

**CH10: The Truth Will Set You Free**

* * *

Sakura pranced around her room uncomfortably. "Li-kun!" she begged. The door to her room was locked, and Li had the key. She could have used the jump card to escape through the window, but the groundskeepers were out caring for the lawn and she didn't want to be seen using her magic. She banged on the bathroom door. "Please let me in!" Sakura was getting antsy; she was unsure of how much longer she could hold it in.

"I am almost finished." He replied calmly from the other side of the bathroom door, "I will only be another fifteen or twenty minutes." Sakura, as usual, had to be woken by Li that morning. It was a much shorter trip for him since he had slept on the floor by her door for the past couple days. Neither of them appreciated the arrangement. Li wanted her to tell the elders about her abilities so he could stop babysitting her, but Sakura insisted that it was best that as few people as possible know. The fact that his family already knew, or at least suspected, had not loosened her lips about her secret at all. Li saw this situation as unjustly punishing him for Sakura's mistakes and was determined to make life as hard as possible on her until she did what he wanted. It didn't help that they were both too stubborn to consider relenting.

"I'll do anything!" She cried, fearing her bladder would burst. Behind the door, Li smiled. These were exactly the words he had been waiting for.

"You will tell the Elders the truth this morning?"

"Yes, just let me in!" The lock on the bathroom door clicked and Li emerged holding a half read, dusty, old book labelled 'The Sorcerer's Almanac: A Guide to All Things Magic'.

"It is all yours." He smiled, giving a mock bow and gesturing into the bathroom. Sakura did not see it though as she just shoved him out of the way and slammed the bathroom door. He heard a sigh of relief as Sakura barely made it in time. "I am sure the elders will be most interested in what you have to say in the lessons this morning, Kinomoto. You may want to hurry up though, they start in three minutes." Li called through the door, gloating over his victory.

"NANI?!" Sakura worried over how she would ever make it to the lessons in time, until she spotted an object glinting on the top of the sink, "If I'm late, you're late." She called back, "Not only must you escort me, but you left the key in here!" Li cursed and waited… and waited… and waited… They were almost fifteen minutes late before they even got out of the room.

* * *

"Gomennasai, Li-sama," Sakura belted out as they arrived late to the lessons, "I did not mean to be late. Li-kun has insisted that I tell you the truth, so here it is;" Sakura glanced towards Syaoran and grinned maliciously, "We were late because Li-kun spent an hour and a half in the bathroom this morning."

"NANI?" Syaoran's face turned red. Sakura was unsure of whether this was from rage, or from embarrassment as he heard stifled giggles coming from the two elders who had been waiting for them.

"I believe that it is time that we get started." One of the elders said, "Perhaps today we shall talk about the proper nutrition for a fighter… And of the importance of fibre in one's diet." Li glared at Sakura for the rest of the lesson time.

Later, all Li could think about the event was, 'Thank God it was not a martial arts day, or else Touya would never let me hear the end of it.' When Touya had learned about the current arrangements for Sakura's restriction of mobility, he would have gone after Li with the kendo training-sword he had be using to spar, had Yukito not restrained him. Even though the initial attack had been prevented, Li had found himself the victim of several 'accidents' over the last two days. Li was sure that if things came to blows, he would be the victor, but he did not look forward to the fight. Touya was at least a head taller than him and had been training for most of his life, though not nearly as vigorously as Syaoran had. Syaoran's fighting skills were better than Touya's, but Touya had a much longer reach and was not unskilled at fighting, so it would certainly be a painful victory. As much as Li enjoyed a challenge, he would prefer if he could avoid this one by forcing her to confess.

* * *

On his way to school, Li pondered the possibilities. He couldn't physically torture her. His mother and the elders frowned at that practice. It had only been used twice in the past hundred years, but not for anything as trivial as this. A shining, silver ray of hope entered his sight as he saw Clow's magic circle engraved on an innocent looking item in the window of an antique store.

"I hope you are ready Sakura," Li smiled as he gladly overpaid what it would have been worth had it not been magical, leaving the shopkeeper very happy and with a business card with his number on the back should the owner find any other items that might be of interest. "This will be a day you truly won't expect."

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo waved as her friend roller-bladed towards her. "Did you sleep well?"

"No." Sakura replied, "I had to sleep with Li again and he snores horribly." She clamped her hands over her mouth in shock. She had not meant to say that much.

"You mean… You and Li…" Tomoyo was looking rather shocked, but that did not stop her from having her camera out to record the rest of this conversation.

"HOE!" Sakura waved her arms and shook her head in defiance of the allegation, "We have been sleeping in the same room because the elders don't trust me to be alone in the Li complex since I knew stuff I shouldn't have because I released the Clow Cards and haven't told them about it." Li smiled as he watched Sakura try to contain herself from a position hidden in a tree on the other side of a wall between a property and the street. He held a silver set of scales that tilted when Sakura tried to speak.

Tomoyo already looked suspicious and glanced towards Li's hiding place without Sakura seeing her nod and smile towards an otherwise normal tree. Li almost let himself fall out of the tree when he noticed her do this. He replaced the scales into his backpack and hurried away.

* * *

Every time Sakura spoke, she found herself saying more than she had intended to. She was in constant fear that someone would ask a question that would cause her to say something really compromising. Her friends quickly caught on to her inability to lie and were taking advantage of it for their own entertainment.

"So, who do you think is the hottest guy in school?" Chiharu asked as they waited for class to start after lunch.

"Li, of course." She replied before she could stop herself. A loud thud was heard behind her as a surprised Syaoran tripped over his own feet and slammed his face into a desk. "Too bad he is so cold, self-centered and mean. He is such a baka." Syaoran scowled as he stood himself up again. He was actually quite irritated with himself. He had known already that he was considered the most attractive guy in the school by all the single girls and most of the ones who weren't. He wondered why what Sakura had said surprised him so much. "Li? Are you okay?" Sakura asked. She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and held it over his face. He realized quickly that his nose was bleeding. Actually it was bleeding a lot. The front of his shirt was actually soaked with blood. He didn't think he had hit the desk that hard. "Li?" Others were gathering around him now.

"Maybe we should get him to the nurse's office." Naoko suggested, as he just stood there staring into space as Sakura tried to stop his bleeding. He seemed to come back to life suddenly and grabbed the, now red, handkerchief from Sakura.

"I am fine." He stated resolutely. This became even more of an obvious lie as he collapsed unconscious on top of Yamazaki as he tried to escape the circle of concerned students.

* * *

Li was carried by Sakura, Takashi and Tomoyo to the nurse's office. The nurse had insisted on calling Li's mother who in turn called Doctor Ling and they both arrived at the school minutes later. Sakura was waiting with the nurse and Syaoran when they arrived. She was soaked with almost as much blood as Syaoran.

"He tripped and hit his face on a desk." Sakura said immediately as they entered the office. The doctor nodded in acknowledgement. Syaoran was lying in the bed with cotton stuffed into his nose and the bleeding stopped by the cauterizing agents that the nurse had soaked the cotton in. Doctor Ling inspected Syaoran for a few moments, humming to himself.

"He definitely has a concussion. It is a fairly major one." The doctor said, "He does not have a broken nose, but he has a severe gash that has severed an artery in his nose. If it starts bleeding again, he may need to have it surgically closed. He will need rest for at least a day, but should avoid strenuous activity for the rest of the week. He may feel dizzy or disoriented after he wakes up. If this lasts for more than a day, he has trouble sleeping, or any other symptoms occur, please call me." Hi Ling whispered something to Yelan, then left.

Yelan picked up her son with surprising ease. "Get his school bag, and yours as well. He cannot stay here in this condition, and you cannot stay in those clothes." Sakura did as she was told and headed back towards the classroom.

* * *

Sakura picked up her own bag and then Li's bag. It was heavy. She tried to heft it into a position with better grip. The zipper got caught on a desk, opened a bit, and she saw a silver engraved magic circle. She got out into the hall and took the object out of his bag. She could feel its aura now. She knew that this was a Clow Card. She didn't know where Li had gotten it, but she was fairly certain that it was what had caused her so many problems today. She knew Li had only been trying to help her by trying to force her to reveal her secret, and now, because she hadn't he had been hurt. "This is all my fault." She said to herself. "I opened the book that he was supposed to open and took his birthright away, and then I lied about it which took his freedom away, and now this." A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of how much she had ruined his life. She swore to herself that she would tell the elders about the Clow Cards as soon as Li awoke. She also decided that she would at least try to be his friend, if he'd let her. Sakura glanced around to make sure no one was watching and quickly sealed the card and signed it with Syaoran's name before putting it back into his backpack.

* * *

Li awoke late that night lying in his own bed. His head hurt and his face hurt and he could not remember precisely why, only that Sakura had something to do with it. She was curled up asleep in one of the armchairs and one of the elders was watching over him.

"You are awake. How are you feeling?" The elder asked.

"Like someone was using my face instead of a punching bag." He replied, "Sakura didn't beat me in a fight did she?" Syaoran asked, extremely relieved when he learned it was not so and that he had in fact tripped and hit his face on a desk.

"Gomenasai, Li-kun." Sakura said, opening her eyes, "Please forgive me. If I hadn't been so stubborn, this never would have happened."

Syaoran remembered what he had done earlier with The Libra. "It's not your fault." He said as he noticed that her cheeks were wet.

"It is my fault, and I can't fix it, but I can do the next best thing. I can make sure it doesn't ever happen again." She turned to the elder, who by some coincidence was the same one who had taught that family history class that had cause Li to be stuck babysitting her. "Li-sama… I knew about Clow Reed because I was able to open The Clow and Keroberos. the guardian beast of the seal, told me about him when he made me a card captor." The elder nodded and left the room without saying anything.


	11. Binding Agreement

**CH11: Binding Agreement**

* * *

Li didn't seem to be talking to her, and the elder had not lifted her punishment. She wondered if she had done the right thing. Li seemed a little uncomfortable having her in his room, and she didn't really want to be there, but until the punishment was officially lifted, and she was allowed to roam free again, she was stuck with him. It was not like she had been locked in or anything, but she had decided for herself that she had caused enough trouble that day and really didn't want to do anything else to compromise her standing in the household. She looked at Li. He was staring at her. He had been doing it ever since the elder left. It seemed rather creepy and gave Sakura the willies.

"Sakura…" he said suddenly, startling her, "It wasn't really your fault. I used magic on you to try and force you to reveal the truth."

"I know."

"Then why would you think that this was your fault?"

"I should have told the truth from the beginning. As you told me before, they probably already knew. Your family already has, and knows about magic, the only thing hiding my magic did was hurt you. I can't stand to have people hurt because of me."

"I guess since you found the card, you probably kept it."

"No it's yours, you found it. I just sealed it for you."

"Baka! We're supposed to be adversaries; you can't just give me cards."

"I would rather be friends."

* * *

Very early the next morning, Sakura felt stiff and uncomfortable. No matter how soft and comfortable Li's furniture was for sitting, it was not made for sleeping on. There was a loud banging on the door. It must have been what had woken here up.

Sakura got herself up and opened the door. Touya was standing there fuming. "What the hell are you doing here with this gaki?!"

"Nothing." She replied, "I am still not allowed going around the property unescorted. Since Li is stuck in bed, I am stuck here as well."

Touya stuck his head into the room and everything seemed to be in order. "I still don't like you spending so much time with him."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Yukito-san!" Sakura exclaimed. She noticed that he and her brother were wearing identical outfits. "Did you two get a new part-time job?"

"We're working the early morning shift at a night club near here." Yukito replied.

"That sounds like a fun job." Sakura said.

"It was until the gaki's sisters showed up." Touya said, "They are almost as big of kaijyuus as you are."

"Sakura not a kaijyuu!" She stomped hard on her brother's foot.

"Will you all just shut up?!" Li sat up and snapped, "There is only one hour of sleep until I have to get up for lessons, and I intend to sleep for that hour." He was apparently feeling better.

"Too bad, because the Elders asked us to inform you that you start an hour early today." Touya replied. Li groaned.

* * *

Li and Sakura dragged themselves to the usual training room under the darkness of the pre-dawn. Surprisingly, it was not just their normal trainers there, but the entire council of elders.

"Card captor Sakura," an old man Sakura had not yet laid eyes on before spoke, "I am Li Xiao Fang, ruling elder of the Li council of elders." He coughed and wheezed for several seconds. "It has been prophesied by the greatest diviners of our family for generations that the master of the cards would be a Li." He bowed his head, "Now, one who is not of our clan has released the cards and been chosen by Keroberos, guardian of the seal, as his choice as the master of the Clow Cards." He struggled to his feet with the help of his gnarled wooden staff and one of the younger elders, "Prove you are worthy of this task by defeating me in battle."

"I don't want to hurt you." Sakura apologized.

"You won't. KAKI-HI" Sakura screamed and cowered as flames shot from the elder's staff wildly in her general direction. "I may be old, but that makes me more dangerous, not less."

"I don't want to fight, but I will if I have to. Key that hides the power of darkness, you mistress, Sakura, commands you under the contract to reveal your true form. RELEASE!"

"Be careful Sakura," Li whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "He isn't bluffing."

"SHIBARIAGERU!" Sakura's arms and legs suddenly lurched together as if wrapped in a powerful set of invisible ropes. She struggled to reach one of her Clow Cards.

"Windy, bind him." She called, but before she could strike the card with her staff, the elder cast the spell again, causing her to fall down, out of reach of the card.

"Not good enough." The elder said, "Your cards and staff will be taken and given to Syaoran. He will capture the rest of the cards."

"NO! I won't let you!" Sakura cried out.

"You have been defeated. You have not even made a single attack. You are not strong enough for this task."

"I am strong enough." Sakura whimpered as the binds holding her tightened, making it difficult to breathe. She thought of her mother, who had fought so long and hard against impossible odds just to see her children grow. She had always told Sakura that when everything seems to be against you and there seems to be no way to accomplish her goals that all she had to do was remember her ultimate spell that could get her through anything: 'Everything will surely be alright.' "I won't lose." The binds tightened even more, they were beginning to hurt. Her staff fell from her hands.

"You can't defeat me." The elder said, "Just cede your place to Syaoran and this will be over. We will continue as if nothing ever happened."

"No!" The binds tightened again, "I can't lose. I know that... "She was cut off as the binds tightened again. It took most of her strength to breathe as her body was being crushed, "I know, everything will be alright!" She jerked her body, causing herself to roll on top of her staff. Its head impacted the pocket where the Clow Cards were held. "WOODY! Bind him with his own staff."

Xiao Fang stared at the staff, which was now wrapping vines around his arm and digging roots into the floor. His power was cut off as the object he'd been channelling through was granted life and grew. Sakura inhaled deeply as the magical forces holding her disappeared. She picked up her staff and the windy card. "You pass." Xiao Fang said. He withdrew an ofuda and used its powers to rot the growing staff into mulch, releasing himself. "You have earned the privilege of becoming a Li. You will be married to Xiao Lang on his eighteenth birthday."

"NANI!?" Sakura and Syaoran both objected at the same time.

"I can't marry him!" Sakura cried pointing at Syaoran and stepping away as if he were a disgusting gelatinous blob in the middle of the floor.

With a similar reaction, Syaoran said, "How can you expect me to marry her?!"

"Do not worry, we will contact your father and make the arrangements." Xiao Fang said kindly to Sakura, while giving Syaoran a look that said, 'you don't have a say in the matter'. In fact, it was a glare very similar to the one that Li gave to everyone. Li returned the glare before cursing and making his way violently back to the main house and his room. "You will learn to accept each other in time." All the elders but Xiao Fang made their way out. "Every Li learns about magic, and if they are capable, how you use it. You will now have to learn as well."

"But,"

"You will learn thrice weekly, before morning classes and you will practice daily. For now, I will just teach you the basics."

"I.."

"Listen." He said in a voice that said the discussion was over. Sakura decided that she had to find another way out of this engagement. She had battled for the cards, not to become a permanent member of the family, especially not if she had to spend her life with Li Syaoran. For now, she would just have to wait and watch for an opportunity to get out of this.

Xiao Fang began his lesson. "There are four style of magic used in the Li clan. Two are western styles and two eastern. Of the western styles, there is witchcraft and conjuration. Witchcraft consists of the creation of objects and potions imbued with mystical properties. Conjuration involves calling spirits and temporarily subjugating them in order to achieve a goal. Of the eastern styles, there is sorcery and contract magic. Sorcery uses one's own energy, usually focused through a conduit such as a staff, or wand. We use a conduit because channelling energy can tax the body to its limits and in extreme cases kill. Contract magic involves making deals with spirits in order to draw upon their power in a time of need. Though western magic and eastern magic seem similar in theory, their use is very different. At one time, these classes of magic were completely separate. Over time, however, the lines between different forms of magic blurred and what was left was eastern and western magic which for centuries were incompatible. Long ago, a western wizard married an eastern mystic and they had a child whom they named Clow Reed. Because of his unique parentage, he not only gained the ability to use both eastern and western magic, but also magical ability far beyond any sorcerer before or after him. His mother, through his magic, was the founder of the Li clan. He learned to combine both forms of magic into what you and the Li clan use to this day. The Li ofuda magic is a combination of contract magic, sorcery, conjuration and witchcraft. Our ancestors travelled the world to find powerful spirits and made deals with them to allow or clan to summon their powers, forming the contract. We then use witchcraft to create the ofuda that is linked to the power of the spirit. Then sorcery is used to activate the ofuda which conjures the powers of the spirit.

"All Lis train in all forms of magic. Some may be complicated to set up but provide quick and low power benefits at later times, others may be simple but risky to use such as the most powerful spell in the Li arsenal, the summoning of the clan dragon…

* * *

Sakura returned to her room. After an hour of the old man droning on about magic after she had been woken up early, she was tired. At least they had lifted the punishment, but the 'reward' was even worse. Kero, however didn't seem to have any problem with the situation, but then the maids had been told to bring him pudding every day. Sakura felt like everyone was against her.

"Is it true?" Touya asked darkly as e stalked into the room, "Are you engaged to that gaki?" He was so busy being mad that he did not even notice the creature eating pudding on the chair in the corner.

Sakura nodded, "I didn't want to. But, the elder said that they were going to make me marry him."

"I'LL KILL HIM!" Touya raced towards Li's room screaming death threats. Sakura followed him, hoping to restrain her brother into a mere maiming of her now fiancée. No matter how much she wanted to get out of this arrangement, murder was not an option for her, nor would she allow her brother to save her in this manner.

When Sakura caught up, she found Syaoran's room to be a mess. Syaoran was facing off against Touya. "It wasn't my idea." Syaoran said as he dodged a punch by ducking and sweeping Touya's legs out from under him.

"Do you think I care? I won't let you lay a hand, or anything else, on my sister!" Touya barked after rolling with the fall and returning to his feet.

"Like I would want to!" Syaoran countered.

"Stupid bastard!" Syaoran didn't see it coming as Sakura kicked him in the side, sending him flying across the room. "You may hate this as much as I do, but you don't have to insult me because of it!"

"What the hell do you want me to do bitch? I can't do anything to stop this anymore."

"What do you mean? You could have stopped it before?" Li had no time to launch any offensive as two sets of blows came flying at him.

"It's not my fault!" Syaoran yelled as he narrowly dodged a blow that left a large dent in the wall. "I wasn't given a chance. Mother contacted your father and set up the engagement and he agreed… before the test even started."

"NANI!" Sakura and Touya screamed in unison. They were shocked that their father would agree to such a thing.

"No! Otou-san would never agree." Sakura cried. She pounded her fists against Syaoran's chest. Syaoran didn't know what to do. She was crying into his shirt as she was hitting him. She wasn't actually trying to hurt him anymore and her brother was not going to risk hurting her.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking away. "Okaa-san knew this would happen. She sent the contract to your father the day you arrived. She got it back, signed, yesterday."

"How long have you known about this?"

"Four years."

"But I only came here a week and a half ago." Sometime during this discussion, being unable to beat on his sister's fiancée had run off to find a phone to yell at their father.

"It is the whole reason Okaa-san created the exchange program. You are the fourth 'potential bride' to come, but the first Okaa-san has approved of."

"I'm going to Tomoyo's house." She said, turning away. "I don't know if I'll be back."


	12. Turbulance

**CH12: Turbulance**

* * *

Sakura grabbed some clothes, though she was sure Tomoyo would have gladly have given her some, her toiletries, and her other essentials before racing off towards her cousin's house. As soon as she exited the gates, there was a flash of lightning as rain began to pour down. It continued to rain, getting heavier with each step Sakura took. By the time she reached the Daidouji mansion, she needed dry clothes anyway as the rain had soaked through everything.

Tomoyo, though surprised by the early hour of the visit, gladly invited Sakura to stay as long as she liked, and even provided a dry, though slightly altered school uniform for her to wear. Once Sakura's immediate needs were taken care of, Tomoyo questioned her about her situation. "Why are you no longer staying with the Lis? Did they throw you out?"

Sakura shook her head in denial, "No, worse. Much worse!"

"They didn't abuse you did they?" Tomoyo asked, concerned.

"No… Even worse than anything you could imagine." Sakura said.

"What could be worse?" Tomoyo wondered aloud.

"They… Syaoran… Engaged." Sakura shuddered in horror.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo screamed enthusiastically, "When is the wedding? I'll make the best gown ever for you."

"No!" Sakura pouted, "I am not gonna marry that gaki."

"But… What about the dress?" Tomoyo asked with fear in her eyes, "I couldn't stand it if you wore a dress from a shop."

Sakura sighed and assented that Tomoyo could make her wedding gown, but insisted that no matter what, she was not marrying Li, whether on his eighteenth birthday, nor any other.

* * *

When it was time for school, Tomoyo had one of her bodyguards drive them in one of her limos. It was still raining heavily and the gutters were beginning to look like rivers.

"Hey!" A voice called out as they ran through the school gates. Li was standing there looking rather smug, though he was dripping steady rivulets of water.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked, hoping he would just leave her alone.

"You forgot something when you moved out." A yellow object was whipped at her and it splashed wetly into her chest.

"Kero?" Sakura asked, "What happened?" He was soaked through. He was so heavy with water that his ears and tail drooped straight down, not to mention the fact that the heavy rain made it all but impossible to fly.

"Mmmphpd emfd ee mp", Sakura removes a strip of duct tape that had beem keeping Kero from talking, and biting Syaoran, "… and then that baka brought an umbrella, but refused to use it." Kero grumbled, shaking off as much water as he could.

* * *

Sakura managed to avoid talking to Syaoran for the majority of the day, despite sitting right behind him in class. She was thankful, however, that he was not advertising their supposed engagement, even when other guys flirted with her. It seemed he was taking the engagement as hard as she was, but refused to admit that he couldn't handle it and would rather just pretend that both she and the engagement contract did not exist. Tomoyo, didn't think the same way they did. She was constantly forcing them into 'KAWAII' situations for video purposes. Twice she tripped Sakura at convenient moments to ensure that Li caught her and she was constantly trying to get them to admit feelings for the other. It was not working as well as Tomoyo had hoped. She had even tried asking Li to use The Libra, but he had declined the request without consideration.

By the time school was over, Tomoyo had given up… for the day at least, but the rain continued stronger than ever.

"Attention! Students are forbidden to leave the building due to dangerous flood warnings. Students must remain in their classrooms until further notice. It is likely that the rain will continue through most of the night, so be prepared to spend the night here. The cafeteria will provide evening meals, free of charge should they be required." The principal announced much to the dismay of students. Syaoran especially seemed uneasy at the prospect and began pacing irritably. Sakura remembered the hell that Syaoran had put her through when he had been forced to accompany her twenty-four hours a day when she had refused to reveal that she had opened the Clow book, and she was sure this situation would end up just as bad. Tomoyo seemed excited at the prospect and pointed out to Sakura that she had brought some outfits to school and asked if Sakura wanted to model them for the class. Sakura sighed heavily. This situation was getting worse, and worse, especially now that Kero was complaining that he was hungry again, despite having eaten all of Sakura's lunch and most of Tomoyo's. She was having trouble keeping him hidden.

* * *

By five o'clock, the water level had risen, not just covering the streets, but also the sidewalks by at least an inch. Water had begun seeping in at the ground floor and the janitors were busy plugging leaks.

"This isn't normal." Syaoran said to Sakura, "We never get this much rain." Sakura nodded. Despite her complaints about Li's character, and relationship with her, he usually ended up being right. She could certainly feel that there was something not right about this storm, and now that she thought about it, it actually felt sort of like a Clow Card.

"I sense a card." She confirmed. This prompted a squeal of delight from Tomoyo.

"Is there a problem Daidouji-san?" the Terada-sensei asked, "If not I would appreciate if you could keep the noise down."

"Gomen!" She said before sneaking up to the front of the class and whispering something to him. He gave her a rather embarrassed look.

"Kinomoto-san, please go with Daidouji-san" Terada said, and added after a few moments, "LI, if you have to go to the washroom so badly, just go before you wear a hole in the floor." Syaoran had no need to use the washroom, but took the opportunity to leave the classroom.

"How did you get yourselves out of class like that?" Syaoran asked Tomoyo as they headed towards her locker.

"I'll tell you…" She replied, "but you have to do something for me." Syaoran agreed, after insisting on some guidelines that would ensure that it was not going to be anything too bad. "I told him that Sakura was out of tampons."

"HOE!" Sakura exclaimed, "Why did you have to say something so embarrassing?"

"Well I told him I had extras. Well I don't actually, but I have something else to protect you from the wetness." She smiled as she flung open her locker door, revealing a pair of matching sets clothes inside. Both were bright yellow and made out of a waterproof plastic fabric. One was trimmed with pink and came with a skirt, the other was trimmed with green and came with short pants. Both had boots, hats, gloves and a long coat. She even had a little hat for Kero. She was prepared for everything. Syaoran wished he hadn't asked as she handed him the one with the green trim.

"No one better see me." He growled as he changed in the bathroom. Of course when he and Sakura had finished changing, Tomoyo was ready to video tape them. Unfortunately for them, they accidentally emerged at the same moment, reinforcing Tomoyo's notion that they were perfect for each other, as well as earning them a scream of 'Kawaii'.

* * *

Tomoyo taped from the roof entrance as Sakura, Kero and Syaoran raced to the edge of the building and leapt towards the center of the storm. She wondered what excuse she was going to use to explain their absence. She came up with the most kawaii thing she could think of: making up after a lovers' squabble. Sakura and Syaoran probably would be irritated, but it was too good not to use. Had she been able to film what was about to happen, the excuse would have been even better…

Sakura leapt from a particularly short building toward the roof of a particularly tall one. Unfortunately, the wind chose that moment to buffet her, throwing her off course and towards a much longer fall than she had anticipated. Luckily for her, however, Li was a few steps behind her and managed to direct his jump to intercept hers. This headed them in the wrong direction, but ended up with them headed towards a rooftop landing instead of a four story fall. Li had caught her bridal style, in a pose that Tomoyo would have loved to capture, looking as if they were to share a moment… that is until Li miscalculated the effect her extra weight would have on him. As he hit the roof, he stumbled, landing on top of Sakura and sending them rolling across the roof into a metal vent. After some loud and harsh words were shared between them, they retried their attempt to reach the top of the next building, succeeding without another incident.

"Sugoi…" Sakura gazed at the eye of the storm. its whirling clouds tumbled with the power of the high winds.

"There's something there!" Syaoran shouted over the cacophony of the raging storm. He took out an ofuda and aimed it at the dark mass in the center. "King of lightning, come to my aid!" a bolt of lightning shot from the ofuda, colliding with the dense cloud mass. For a second, the cloud mass disintegrated, revealing two figures sitting atop of clouds, silhouetted against the barely waning moon that hung low in the sky on its way to disappearing from sight. Just as quickly as they appeared, the two figures disappeared once again.

"What were those?" Sakura asked, amazed that two, so small, could cause so much water to fall.

"I know them. It is The Storm and The Rain." Kero said, "The Storm can be a powerful opponent, but The Rain is usually a playful spirit. They must be working together to create a storm of this magnitude."

"My attacks can't do anything from here." Syaoran said, "I am going to get closer and see if I hit them. He leapt towards another building, higher and closer than the one they were on.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried as she saw a particularly strong gust of with knock Syaoran off course, causing him to fall between the buildings and out of sight with a scream. Sakura raced to where Syaoran had fallen as the darkness of night began to creep across the city. She peered down the gap between the buildings where Syaoran had fallen. Tears began to flow down her face, though no one would ever notice with the rain, as she looked down only upon the raging rapids that now made up the streets.


	13. Changing Currents

**CH13: Changing Currents**

* * *

"He may have been a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die!" Sakura shouted towards the clouds. Sakura continued to cry. It was not just the fact that Li was gone, but that she had sworn to try to be his friend. She hadn't done anything resembling keeping that oath because of what their parents had done. For some reason she had placed the blame on Syaoran, even though he had no control over it.

"Sure, the brat is gone, but if you don't do something soon, a lot more people will be hurt." Kero said, breaking up her pity-fest. Her sadness quickly turned to anger.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!" She yelled. "Wood, grow tall and strong." A sapling appeared and wrapped its roots firmly around the building as it stretched up towards the clouds. "Windy, clear the path and bind them." The windy card forced its way through the clouds, dispersing them temporarily, before forming a sphere of air around the two cards. Sakura leapt up the branches of the tree towards them. "Clow Cards! Return to your glRPhf" Rain's water had filled up the barrier windy had created causing it to burst, showering Sakura with a torrent of water. She began falling out of control, screaming as she fell headfirst towards the rushing water. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable deadly impact. It came sooner than she expected. It was not, however, as hard or deadly as she had expected it to be. In fact it was quite soft… and furry? Sakura opened her eyes to find herself clinging for dear life to the back of a familiar brown wolf, though it was a lot wetter than she remembered it being. She wrapped her arms around its neck and held on as it leapt off the sides of the buildings, returning to the base of the tree the woody card had created.

Suddenly, Sakura heard slow sarcastic clapping, "I'm glad I'm not really dead, that was a sorriest excuse for avenging me that I've ever seen." Li mocked.

"BAKA! I thought you were dead!" She punched him in the chest causing him to roll backwards over the heating unit he was leaning against and fall down.

"If you're not careful, you're the one who's gonna end up killing me!" He shouted back and rubbed his head where it had hit the roof.

"I hate to be the voice of reason, but you're in the middle of another battle right now!" Kero interrupted their argument.

"Oh! That reminds me, thanks for saving me." She wrapped her arms around the soggy brown wolf and gave it a big hug.

"We are not going to catch the cards by just jumping at them. We have to separate them somehow. They are too powerful when working together."

"If I hold the rain back with windy, could you stun the storm long enough for me to capture it?"

Li grunted and began racing up the tree with the wolf on his tail. Sakura followed immediately after.

"Windy! Part the clouds and hold back the rain!" Windy did as requested.

"King of lightning…" Before he could finish, the wolf beat him to it, launching its own lightning attack, frying the little cloud-born spirit.

"Storm! Return to your true form." She struck the card with her staff and it coalesced into its card form, drawing the huge storm cloud with it. The sealed card floated over to the wolf who caught the card in its jaws. All that was left now was to catch the rain card which was merrily dropping a torrent from its cloud right onto Li's head. "Bet you're glad that Tomoyo made you wear that outfit now huh?" Sakura smiled as he gave her a look that clearly said that he'd rather be wet. "Rain card! Return to your true form!" She added the rain card to her deck.

"We'd better get back to school. We'll get in trouble if they send everyone home and they find us missing." Sakura said. Li agreed then began to head back to school. The wolf headed in the same direction, running faster than they did over the rooftops. As the wolf got further ahead of them, the moon dipped below the horizon and Sakura saw the wolf transform into a boy as it ran. It was too far away and it was too dark to tell who it was, but she recognized the uniform he wore as belonging to their school. "That wolf is a boy from our school." Sakura gasped in surprise, "Do you know who it is?"

"No idea." Li replied as they continued running.

* * *

They returned to class only to be jumped by Chiharu, Naoko, Rika, and Takashi. "Why didn't you tell us?" They asked.

"Tell you what?" Sakura and Syaoran asked in unison.

"Can I be a bridesmaid?"

"Me too."

"You're making me best man, right?" Yamazaki said, "You know, to become best man, friends of the groom used to have to do challenges, like an obstacle course, and whoever won was said to be the best man."

"Stop with the lies Yamazaki!" Chiharu yelled as she strangled him.

"Your wedding should be a fairytale princess theme!" Naoko suggested.

"What wedding?"

"He was lying?"

"You're engaged aren't you?"

"I wish you hadn't chosen Tomoyo as your maid of honour, I wanted to do that."

"We're not getting married!"

"Just because our parents engaged us does not mean we're gonna go through with it!"

"Getting cold feet already?"

"TOMOYO!" Sakura yelled.

"Yes?" She replied innocently.

"Why did you tell everyone about the engagement?"

"Do you have a better explanation for your long absence with no one but Li to keep you company?" All the girls looked at her expectantly.

"What happened?"

"Spill girl!"

"We want to know every detail."

"How did you make up with Li after your fight?" Yamazaki asked, "Or should I say make out?"

Luckily Sakura was saved from the barrage of questions by the voice of the principal over the intercom. "The rain has stopped, and there is no more danger from flooding. For the purposes of liability, you will not be allowed to leave until your parents come to pick you up. You will be called down when your parents or guardians or their representative arrives. Kinomoto and Li may come down immediately."

* * *

Wei was waiting for the two of them to return them to the Li mansion. He took them to the living room where Yelan was waiting for them.

"I understand you are both upset about the engagement." Yelan said, "So we will talk about it."

"What's to talk about?" Li asked, "I don't want to marry her, she doesn't want to marry me."

"Sakura, is it true that you do not want to marry my son?" Sakura nodded and Yelan continued, "Why don't you tell me why you don't want to marry him."

"He's a jerk! He's selfish, arrogant, and whenever I do something nice for him, all he does is insult me." Syaoran cringed under the glare that his mother gave him as she heard these comments.

"If you had to choose who you were to be married to right now, who would you choose?" Yelan asked kindly.

Sakura thought for a moment before answering, "There is one guy… He's saved my life at least three times already. He was always kind and helpful to me. I know he transforms into a wolf sometimes. I only saw him in his human form once, but it was dark and he was far away, so I don't really know who he is."

"I'll make a deal with you," Yelan said, "If you can find out who this wolf boy is, and get him to agree to marry you in Syaoran's stead, you will be allowed to marry him and the Li clan will even cover the cost of the wedding as if it was Syaoran himself who was getting married. This is the only condition I can give you under which you will be allowed to break the engagement."

"Then I'll find out who he is, and make him fall in love with me!" Sakura vowed.

"Good." Yelan smiled, "Syaoran, we need to talk… in private." Sakura left and returned to her room. Even through the thick walls, she could hear the echoes of Yelan giving Syaoran an earful, though it was impossible to hear what they were saying over the sound of Kero inhaling a bowl of chocolate pudding that had been left for him by the maids.

* * *

The next morning, Li woke her earlier than usual. She found this odd, not because he was waking her early (even without the magic training that she was starting) because that was something it seemed he would do just to annoy her, but because he was still waking her. It was no longer his responsibility to wake her for the morning lessons, but she was grateful that he was helping her for once. She decided to try to fulfill her vow to be friendly with him and thanked him for waking her. He just grunted and told her to get ready. She did as he had suggested and went with him for another boring lecture with Xiao Fang. Strangely, Syaoran sat through the lecture attentively while Sakura's mind wandered. She had expected the opposite, considering he had been going through this for years and this was probably just review for him. Eventually, Xiao Fang got to something interesting. He gave each of them an ofuda.

"Water spirit's can be tricky, try to summon the power of Tidus, lord of the depths. Whoever gets the other wet first wins a prize." This set a look of utter horror upon Li's face then a look of sheer determination as he prepared to unleash the new spell.

"Lord of the depths, come to my aid!" He called forth as he struck his ofuda with his sword. The results were less than spectacular as the only effect was that the paper ofuda became soggy.

"My turn." Sakura prepared herself. She released her staff then tried focusing her energy into the ofuda. She began to worry. 'Li's been doing this type of magic all his life, if he can't do it, why would I be able to?' She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She remembered from the lecture the previous day (which apparently had not counted as on official magic lesson) that she had to maintain her focus. She took another deep breath and remembered the magic words that her mother had taught her, 'Everything will surely be all right.' As usual, thinking upon what her mother had taught her calmed her down and gave her confidence that allowed her to think clearly. 'Focus your energy', she thought. That was the first step. She breathed deep and imagined her aura flowing from her body into the ofuda through her fingertips. The ofuda sparked and stood rigid in her hand. It had worked. next was the incantation. She knew it was not the actual words of the incantation that caused anything. The incantation was merely a tool that helped to control the magical forces and it was the intent of the heart that controlled it. Experienced sorcerers often only used incantations for the most difficult of spells. Sakura had never tried to cast a spell like this before though, her cards worked instinctively, ofuda magic required much more control to even work. "Lend me the power of the depths!" Sakura shouted and struck the ofuda with her staff.


	14. Enter The Dragon

**CH14: Enter The Dragon**

* * *

Nothing happened. Sakura was sure that she had done everything right, but not even a drop of water had appeared. She and Li tried again. Li managed a trickle of water, but it was not nearly strong enough to reach her. Sakura concentrated with all of her might, focusing on doing the spell right. "Lord of the depths, lend me your power!" She struck the ofuda with her staff. There were some sparks, then the ofuda ignited and turned into a pile of ashes.

"Oops, that wasn't supposed to happen."

The elder produced another identical ofuda and handed it to her. He also replaced Li's ofuda which was now a soggy mess. 'In order to win, I have to get Li wet. The elder didn't say how.' Sakura grinned mischievously. "Li…"

"What?"

"RAINY!" Li scowled as the rain card let loose a downpour over his head.

"Congratulations, Sakura." Li Xiao Fang smirked, "You seemed to have won. Xiao Lang is quite wet." Sakura smiled. "You still have a lot of practice before you master the ofuda magic, though."

"No…!" Sakura backed away as Xiao Lang approached holding the emergency fire bucket filled with water. "Li, don't!" Sakura begged as Syaoran chased her around the room."

"TIDUS!" Xiao Fang chanted, holding one of the ofudas. A powerful jet of water blasted towards them both. After it hit them once, it travelled in a loop, returning to hit them from another angle. Then it went up and finally dropped on top of their heads. "Xiao Lang, perhaps you should clean this room up, before Kinomoto-san arrives to join you two for martial arts training. Sakura, for winning, you are forbidden from helping him in this task."

"I hate losing!" Li growled.

"You may also wish to change into some dry clothes." Xiao Fange told her. Li Looked at her and turned red. The water had caused the white training outfit she was wearing to become slightly transparent and made it cling to her body.

"HENTAI!" Sakura slapped Li when she realized what he was looking at and then turned to leave.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SYAORAN!" A black-haired girl said from the entrance. She had red eyes that burned with anger as she glared at Sakura. Not even waiting for an answer, the girl shoved Sakura out of the way and raced over to Syaoran, wrapping her arms around his neck in a great big hug. "That slut didn't hurt you did she? Did you miss me?" She finally released her hold on Syaoran, enabling him to gasp for breath.

"No." Li replied.

"Umm, excuse me…" Sakura said, "Who are you?"

"Li Meiling. I'm Syaoran's fiancée!" The girl replied.

"Really? That's an interesting coincidence." Sakura said, then turned and left. Li Meiling… That was the name of the girl who had been sent to Russia from here for the exchange program. Sakura wondered what she was doing back. That girl's glare made her nervous, and gave her another reason to hate Syaoran. She couldn't think of anyone she hated more than that arrogant, perverted, two-timing, jerk. Even if they did hate each other, the least that guy could have done is not be engaged to someone else at the same time he was engaged to her. She wondered why she even had a problem with it. If anything, this was perfect. If Li married someone else, then their engagement would have to be cancelled, but then, no woman ever wants to be cheated on, no matter how much she hates the other person. This made things a lot more difficult. She had to not only get the wolf-boy to fall in love with her, but also get Syaoran to break off his engagement with Meiling.

* * *

"Li's cheating on you?" Tomoyo asked incredulously as she and Sakura were being driven to school in Tomoyo's limo.

"And she wasn't too happy when she found out that Syaoran and I were engaged as well." Sakura replied, "Even worse than that, is the fact that she is back because she beat up a whole squad of men from a nearby military base because one of them tried to grope her. Then I was paired with her for martial arts training." Sakura rubbed the foot shaped bruise on her stomach. "She is at least as good as Li, if not better, and she didn't go easy on me like Li does."

Tomoyo gasped, "How can someone cheat on someone as kawaii as Sakura! Meiling should just give up now, because Syaoran could choose no one other than you!"

"Since I was partnered with Meiling, Touya was partnered with Li, and when he learned about Meiling, he wasn't too happy with Li so he got quite a few bruises too. Then Meiling attacked Touya for hurting Li. Then the Elders had to step in…" Sakura sighed.

* * *

Meiling had managed to enrol in school already, and was in all the same classes as Sakura and Syaoran. She always sat across the aisle from Sakura who could constantly feel Meiling's eyes boring into her. When she asked for help as she usually did in the math and Chinese classes, Meiling immediately rebuked her saying that Syaoran was already helping her. In the English and Japanese classes, where Syaoran usually asked Sakura for help, Meiling offered to help him before he even asked. She practically sat on top of him at lunch, and fed him a bento she had made for him. Every time she was separated from him, even for a few seconds, she would latch onto him like a leech. Sakura never got a chance to talk to him without Meiling hanging onto him. Sakura began to notice a bit of a pattern. Meiling was trying really hard, but Syaoran wasn't responding to her affection in any way. When she hugged him, he didn't hug her back. He seemed to treat all their interactions completely formally. The only difference she saw in his behaviour towards Meiling was that he didn't constantly get irritated with her. He didn't even complain when she called him Syaoran as he usually did when anyone but his mother or sisters addressed him. After school, Sakura thought of an idea to get Syaoran away from Meiling. She caught up with him before he could leave the school grounds.

"I sensed a Clow Card." She whispered.

"Where?" Syaoran asked.

"Follow me." She said. She ran off to a secluded area to release her staff and call upon the jump card. Syaoran followed, and unfortunately so did Meiling. Sakura attempted to outrun Meiling, without losing Syaoran. Unfortunately, Meiling was keeping pace with Syaoran.

"Why are you following us?" Syaoran asked Meiling, "This is dangerous."

"I can help." Meiling replied. This wasn't working as well as Sakura had hoped. "Besides, who knows what she would try if I wasn't around." Meiling glared at Sakura.

"I'm not the one throwing myself at someone else's fiancée!" Sakura turned and shouted back, coming to a stop.

"What are you talking about?" Meiling shouted back, "The only man for me is Syaoran. He's been my fiancée since we were kids!"

"Then why do Yelan and the Elders agree that he is engaged to me?" Sakura gloated.

"I thought we were here for a Clow Card, not to argue who I am engaged to!"

"Shut up!" Sakura and Meiling roared at him before continuing their argument.

"This was all a ploy to get some time alone with my Syaoran, wasn't it?" Meiling yelled as she threw a punch at Sakura. Sakura jumped to avoid the punch. A whoosh and a thud were heard and an arrow appeared between Meiling's legs. Had Sakura not jumped to avoid the punch, she would have been skewered by that arrow.

"Fire, come to my aid!" Syaoran sent a barrage of flame from an ofuda, narrowly missing both girls, but incinerating more arrows that were headed their way. "Stop fighting each other or the Arrow Card will finish both of you!" Sakura wasn't sure whether to be relieved that her bluff hadn't been found out, despite Meiling's accusation, or to be scared that there was another card trying to kill them.

Hovering above them was a girl, with a hairstyle remarkably similar to Meiling's, who was holding a bow. She pulled back on the bowstring and an arrow appeared on it. She then released. The arrow split three times as it flew, resulting in a total of seven arrows coming at them. Sakura jumped out of the way and three of them passed through the spot where she had been standing. Syaoran deflected two with his sword. The others didn't come close enough to be a threat to any of them.

As the card launched another volley, Sakura shouted "Windy! Blow the arrows off course." The Windy Card caused a powerful gust of wind. This volley didn't come anywhere near them. "Now bind the arrow!" Windy trapped the arrow and brought it down. "Return to your true form! Arrow!" Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she added the dangerous card to the rest that she carried.

"What are you doing!" Meiling complained, "You should give that card to Syaoran!"

"I was the one who captured it!"

"He saved your life! If he hadn't been wasting his time protecting you, he would have captured it himself!"

"What could have been done doesn't make a difference! The card goes to the one who defeats it."

"That's a stupid rule. Now give Syaoran his card."

"No! It is my card, I defeated it, so it chose me!" At that Meiling leapt at Sakura, intent on fighting her again. Syaoran stepped between them and took the first punch Meiling threw."

"Stop it!" Li said, "She won the card fairly, so just drop it." Sakura was shocked, this was the first time that Syaoran had taken her side against Meiling. Meiling looked liked she had been slapped. She nodded. Her eyes were on the verge of shedding tears.

"Okay." She said, and then ran off.


	15. Deal With The Devil

**CH15: Deal With the Devil**

* * *

Meiling lay on her bed with the door locked. 'Why did Li take her side?' she wondered. She had been his fiancée for six years, then suddenly, after being sent away for a few weeks, she comes back to find another girl in his life. Not only that, but she was full of magic, and was also a card captor; things Meiling could never be. "Dammit!" She cried, punching the pillow that sat atop her dark red sheets. She had worked so hard to be with him, to remain useful, even though she had no magic. It was a rare phenomenon in the clan to be born without magic, and those that were had to make themselves useful in other ways.

* * *

When Li was born, Li Kum Soun, the foremost seer for the clan had predicted that he would gather the Clow Cards when they were released, and bring their powers under the rule of the clan. Because the Clow book contained so much power, prophesies had been made about it for over one hundred years, yet this was the first one with a resolution within sight. This prophecy was especially well received due to the fact that Xiao Lang's father, Li Xun, was, at that time, the leader of the Li clan. As heir to the leadership of the Li clan, it was important for him to be strong both physically, and magically. As master of the cards, this was a certainty.

Li's training began as soon as he learned to walk. By three years old, he had learned the basics of combat as well as beginning the development of his magical abilities. He would look forward to his daily training sessions with his father, and trained harder than any of the other children.

When he was five, his physical and magical prowess were both evident. His father proudly watched as he competed in tournaments, and usually won, even against children much older than himself. It was at this time that Li Xun died. Xiao Lang was devastated by the loss. He was still much too young to take over the responsibilities of being the leader of the Li clan, so his mother, Li Yelan took the place of interim ruler until the time that Syaoran was of age and had been married.

Due to her new position, Li Yelan no longer had the time to look after the affairs of the estate as she had when Xun had been alive. She invited her widowed sister-in-law to live on the main Li estate and take over those responsibilities. When she came, she brought along her daughter, Li Meiling.

Meiling had first set eyes on Li the day she had arrived. Li had been standing on the lawn, wearing nothing but a green pair of shorts as he trained with his sword. He had been graceful, skilled and determined. He had not lost focus while Meiling and her mother had moved into his home. Meiling had quickly learned that Li trained, not for himself, but in memory of his father. It was not only his way of remembering the treasured time he had spent with his father, but also an effort to make sure that his father would be proud of him. Meiling did not learn this fact from Syaoran himself, but from his mother, because Syaoran rarely talked, and when he did, he was always serious and focused on the task at hand. Meiling admired his dedication and skill, and she began training with him every day.

It had already been determined that she had no magical abilities to speak of, so when Syaoran was practicing his sorcery, Meiling would be training her athletic abilities. She trained as hard as Syaoran when she was with him, and even harder when she was alone. By the time Syaoran and Meiling were six, Yelan began to believe that Meiling was over-training herself and bought her a bird to take care of. Meiling loved the bird; one of her favourite pass-times was to listen to her bird sing as she watched Syaoran train. Yelan saw how she took to the bird, and purchased another for her. Thus it continued until by their eighth year, Meiling had an entire room converted into an aviary to house all of them.

One day, Li had come in after training to find Meiling crying. She told him that her most precious bird, the first Yelan had given her, had escaped. He immediately left the mansion and headed into the woods. He did not return for several hours and it began to rain. Meiling waited the entire time and began to worry. Finally at dusk, a soaking wet Syaoran cam trudging back up along the path to the house. He was dirty, and his training outfit had several rips and tears. She embraced him and cried, asking if he was alright and telling him that she had worried about him. Then, he, for the first and only time Meiling could remember, smiled. Out of his sleeve he produced her missing bird, it wasn't even wet.

The next day, when he was studying, she told him that she loved him and wanted him to marry her when they were old enough. He ignored her.

"You like me more than any other girl don't you?" She had asked.

"I guess." He replied dismissively.

"Then promise me. Promise that if you don't find someone else before then, that when we're old enough, you'll marry me!"

"Whatever." It hadn't exactly been an exuberant response, but it was more than enough for her. From that day on, she had trained herself to be the best wife for Syaoran that she could be. She had continued training with him so that she would be strong enough. She learned to cook, and made his school lunches for him. Once, she had even tried to dress him, but then he had started locking his door at night. She spent every waking moment she could devoted to trying to make him happy.

* * *

Thinking about the day Li had found her bird for her, always made her feel better. It reminded her that he did care, even if he didn't always show it. He had not outright rejected her, and he never said that he liked the Kinomoto girl, so as far as Meiling was concerned she was still his one and only fiancée, no matter what anyone else said. Still, she couldn't help but wonder. Syaoran had been trained his entire life to become the master of the cards, yet this girl was taking away his birthright, and he was allowing it to happen, and then he had taken the girl's side when she had complained about how unfair it was. Meiling sighed. She couldn't stand to have her fiancée angry with her, even if she was right. That meant there was only one thing to do, apologize to Sakura… Of course Li had to be there too, she was after all, doing this for him.

A knock on the door disturbed her reminiscing and planning. "Come in."

"Meiling… I'm sorry." Sakura said, as she entered the room.

"Nani?"

"You really like Syaoran." Sakura said, "He was your fiancée first. I didn't even want to become his fiancée. I am trying my best to get out of it, but I still said some things to you."

"Is there a way you can cancel the engagement?" Meiling asked hopefully, already starting to like the girl more.

"Yelan gave me one way to get out of the engagement. I have to find the boy that transforms into a wolf and make him agree to take Syaoran's place at the wedding."

"So you really have no way out." Meiling said, "You won't find a guy like that to take Syaoran's place… I guess you don't really have a choice."

"There's a chance." Sakura said, "There is a wolf that has saved me a few times. Last night, Syaoran and I saw him transform into a boy. We don't know who he is, but he was wearing our school's uniform."

"You mean there's another one?"

"I only saw one..."

"Never mind." Meling said, "To tell you the truth, I was trying to figure out how to apologize to you." Meiling smiled, "I guess I got a little jealous."

"It's okay." Sakura smiled back, "We got off on the wrong foot, why don't we start over and be friends."

"Sounds good to me." Meiling replied, "Hi, I'm Li Meiling, Syaorans's fiancée." She held out her hand in greeting.

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura. It's nice to meet you Li-chan."

"Please, call me Meiling…" The girl replied.

"Then, I guess you can call me Sakura if you'd like."

"And whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM MY SYAORAN!"

* * *

Over the next few days, Sakura became good friends with Meiling, as long as she was not found alone or being social with Syaoran. She introduced Meiling to Tomoyo, and they seemed to get along well, actually, they got along too well. It made Sakura nervous when the two would whisper to each other and refuse to tell Sakura what was going on. As much as she had come to like the two girls, they were much too devious for Sakura's good. She knew they were planning something, but didn't know what. She tried asking Syaoran if he knew what Meiling was planning, but the only thing she got out of it was an earful from Meiling, who had caught them talking alone together. That girl could be very scary when she wanted to.

She found out soon enough. A few days later, she found a paper posted on the school bulletin board. It had the ominous title 'Talent Show'. The first three lines had already been filled out. They had the names Daidouji, Kinomoto and Li in various combinations and as talents listed Singing, fashion… and magic.


	16. Cold Day In Hell

**CH16: A Cold Day in Hell**

* * *

"Tomoyo! How could you do this to me?" Sakura cried as she pointed at the list of entrants into the talent show.

"Don't worry, you have three weeks to prepare, and then I will capture all the kawaii-ness on tape." Tomoyo responded. The signup sheet had been up all day, and already it was full of acts, and two more signup sheets had been added to accommodate all the performances that people planned to perform.

"I can't get up in front of all the people who will be there, especially not to sing, or wear those embarrassing outfits or do magic!" Sakura complained, "What part of secret don't you understand!"

"I have it all planned out!" Tomoyo replied, "You will barely have to do a thing. Besides, you will only be a back-up singer; Meiling and I will be the ones doing the main parts." She purposefully avoided the whole magic issue, allowing Sakura to fret about it. "Meiling and Syaoran will also be modelling some of my clothes, but I saved the best ones for you."

"What about the magic, I can't just do real magic in front of everybody!"

"Why not? It worked when I was watching… I am sure it will work with a larger audience."

"That's not what I meant!" Sakura fumed.

"Stop torturing her Tomoyo." Meiling butted in, "Most of the magic will be stage magic, with a little bit of real magic hidden behind to give it a little edge. With me and Syaoran as your assistants, you can't fail."

"Aren't you nervous about singing in front of the school?" Sakura asked Meiling.

"Of course not!" Meiling replied angrily, "I am the best singer in the school."

"Really?" Sakura asked, "With all the competitions Tomoyo has won, you would think that she was the best."

"What competitions?" Meiling asked nervously.

* * *

By the end of the week, Sakura had discovered that Meiling and Tomoyo really had planned things out well, despite the fact that their main attractions did not want to be in any of the performances. The only way that they even got Syaoran to consider it was to tell him that the fashion show would also be a martial arts demonstration because most of Tomoyo's designs for the show were made for card capturing. It was not hard to make that change. He did not complain about the magic show though, even without asking Meiling about how they planned to keep the real magic secret. He knew that no matter what, people would believe that it wasn't real anyway. Tomoyo and Meiling had been drilling the two reluctant participants on their acts constantly since she had agreed, or more precisely gave up fighting it. Meiling's work ethic and Tomoyo's enthusiasm drove the other two into the ground until finally Sakura demanded that they take a break, and thus the idea of going to the beach before the weather became too cold was suggested.

It was definitely not too cold that weekend, in fact it was a true scorcher. Tomoyo had her bodyguards drive them down to the beach in her pink limo. It had painted in that fashion to match Sakura's favourite colour.

Naturally, Tomoyo provided the swimsuits which were of her own design. The girls' suits were one-pieces with low-cut backs and lacy frills that trailed out behind them. The colors were made to match their owners. Sakura's was pink with green frills. Tomoyo's was purple and blue. Meiling's really stood out with an imposing black with red. Syaoran was not so happy with the choices presented to him.

"So which one do you want?" Tomoyo asked, holding the two suits in front of him. "Green and brown speedo, or hot pink short-shorts?"

"I'd rather go naked!" Syaoran grumbled as he choose the pink. The girls laughed as he went off to change.

"You are too cruel." Sakura said between giggles.

"It's he own fault for not asking if I had anything else." Tomoyo replied.

"What else did you have?" Sakura and Meiling asked, curious as to what other horrors Tomoyo might have had in store. To their surprise, Tomoyo produced what actually resembled a normal bathing suit. She hid the suit away again before Syaoran returned.

* * *

"Let's get into the water quick." Syaoran said as he returned, "It's too hot to stay out on the sand." His face was flushed red, but it wasn't from the heat. He was drawing stares from girls all over the beach. "Let's go!" He ran towards the water.

"Hey!" Meiling cried, "You take those off right now!" She chased after him and grabbed his swim trunks. On the back in glittery silvery lettering that neither Meiling, Sakura, nor Syaoran had noticed before this time were the words 'I' and 'Sakura' separated by a heart.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura complained.

"Meiling! Let go!" Syaoran tried to remove the girl before she exposed him in front of the entire beach.

"Not until you change!" Meiling replied, redoubling her efforts, heedless of the crowd forming.

"Did you know that swimsuits used to all be bright colours like Li's is?" Yamazaki wormed his way through the crowd, "People believed that sea monsters would get them if they wore dark colours, but because sea monsters lived so deep in the water, where it is dark and murky, brightly coloured suits would hurt their eyes and repel them, keeping the swimmer safe."

"Glad you could make it." Tomoyo said in greeting, "Did Chiharu and Naoko and Rika make it as well?"

"Hai. They are just down the beach a bit."

"Fine if you won't take them off," Meiling sent Sakura a deadly glare before dragging Syaoran back, "Then at least put these over top."

"There was a normal swimsuit for me?" He stared at it like it was a mirage and if he actually put it on he'd be walking around naked.

"Put it on now, before the whole world sees you declaring your love for Sakura on your but!"

"What are you talki…" Syaoran twisted until he saw the edge of the words. "NANI!" He quickly pulled the normal swim trunks over the ones he was wearing. He was now both blushing from embarrassment and pale from fear as Meiling shouted at him for wearing the pink swim trunks in public. With the main show over, the crowd began to disperse, giggling at Syaoran's expense.

"What was all that about?" Chiharu asked, finally able to get through the dispersing crowds to her friends with Rika and Naoko close behind.

"Nothing!" Syaoran, Sakura and Meiling insisted simultaneously.

* * *

With Syaoran, finally, properly attired, they managed to get themselves into the water for some beach fun. They swam, had water-fights, played volley-ball and built sand castles. As it neared dusk, Sakura challenged Syaoran to a race. "Syaoran, bet I can get to that rock and back before you!"

"You're on." Syaoran dove into the water and started swimming.

"No fair! I wasn't ready yet!" Sakura dove in after him. Their speeds were evenly matched, so Syaoran's little head start made a big difference. He made it to the rock first, noting that the water this far out was much colder. He shivered as he began to make his way back. "Syaoran…" Sakura called weakly. He turned to find her shivering. Her lips were blue and her face was very pale. "It's too cold…"

"Damn!" Syaoran cursed, "Don't fall asleep." He ordered, but it was too late. Her eyes were closed and she was beginning to sink below the surface of the water. He grabbed her around the waist and tried to pull her back towards the shore. She was stuck. Her legs were free and her left arm was free but her right arm was still clutching the rock. She must have grabbed it to keep herself above the water. There was a thick layer of ice over her hand attaching it solidly to the rock. He had three choices: Leave and let her freeze, break her hand, or break the rock. He chose the third choice. Using all his martial arts knowledge, he slammed his fist into the rock with all of his strength. There were two loud cracks, once as the rock crumbled, freeing Sakura's hand, the other as a bone in Syaoran's hand snapped in half, one end protruding from the skin. He didn't care at the time. Saving Sakura's life was more important than his hand, especially when he was so numb that he didn't even feel the pain of the break.

Syaoran began to swim back to shore. He was careful to keep Sakura's head above the water. He could see a sheet of ice beginning to grow out from the rock. He knew he had to hurry. If they got caught in the ice, they were both done for. His movements were slow and clumsy due to the cold, slowing his swimming speed. Sakura's breathing was getting shallower. She was surely suffering from hyperthermia. She needed to be warmed now. Syaoran felt the sand under his feet as he kicked. He picked Sakura up bridal-style and ran onto the beach. Tomoyo and Meiling were immediately beside him.

"What happened?"

"It was a Clow Card." Syaoran said as he lay Sakura on the sun-warmed sand and checked her pulse. It was very faint. He checked her breathing. She wasn't. He tilted her head back, pinched her nose, locked lips and breathed into her. He ignored Meiling's protests that someone else should do it. He took a deep breath and breathed into her again. "You've got to get her warm, fast." He urged them as he continued to breath for Sakura. "Use your body heat. Rub her arms and legs to make sure her blood is circulating." Breath, "Your hands and the friction will warm her." Breath. One of Tomoyo's bodyguards arrived carrying a thermal blanket and an extensive first aid kit. The bodyguard wrapped Sakura in the blanket and attached a moniter to her wrist that beeped along with the girl's heartbeat.

"An ambulance is on the way." She said, "Just keep her going for a few more minutes."

Syaoran breathed into her again. This time, she began to breathe, but it was faint. Her cheeks had become flushed in comparison to the rest of her face which was still pale from the cold. That meant that she was warming up. "Take care of her!" Syaoran said, then ran off down the beach. He had to stop the card; the air temperature was falling. If he didn't hurry, Sakura might not make it until the ambulance arrived. He didn't have Sakura's staff to seal it. Maybe he could at least drive it away temporarily. He got to the end of the cove and near the rock that they had raced to. He leapt onto the ice, which by now was easily thick enough to hold him. He found a rock and began scraping symbols into the ice. He could see a dark shadow approaching him. He had to finish this or the card would get him too. His legs were already going numb from kneeling on the ice. He continued to scrape frantically at the ice.


	17. Frostbite

**CH17: Frostbite**

* * *

Syaoran scraped at the ice frantically as the shadow advanced. It was almost upon him. Three seconds left until the card reached him. He still one more line to do. Two seconds left. He scraped at the last line frantically. One second left. It would have to do. He placed his hand on the symbol, and channelled his energy into it. This would be hard without his sword which was designed for this purpose. "Fire, come to my aid!" He leapt back as a surge of energy flowed into his makeshift ofuda. The serpent-like creature raised itself up through the ice, the icy ofuda visible in the center of its long spiky body. Why hadn't the fire appeared yet? Li was confused; it should have blasted a hole right through the creature. Its head raised itself up, towering over Syaoran who was now cornered. The creature's maw aimed to devour the helpless boy, and encase him in ice. 'I should never let my magic supplies out my sight!' Syaoran berated himself as he stared up into the jaws of icy doom.

The head began to fall towards him, but not in the way that he was expecting. It was almost as if the creature had fainted. Then he heard loud cracks and hisses of steam as they escaped the creature's body, and then finally an explosion that shattered it. The ofuda had just taken longer to activate, but when it did, it had been spectacular. As the icy serpent crumbled, it shattered the ice that was coating the cove. Li jumped from unstable ice sheet to unstable ice sheet, to an ice sheet that flipped over as he landed on it. There was a loud splash and suddenly he was under the ice.

Li punched the underside of the ice as hard as her could. This water was freezing, much colder than when he had pulled Sakura out. His chest was contracting and his whole body was numb in seconds. The ice wasn't budging. It must have refrozen. After what seemed like an eternity, he gave up, releasing his breath and slipping into hypothermic unconsciousness.

* * *

Syaoran had a massive headache and a heavy feeling in his stomach. His limbs hurt, especially when he moved them. He opened his eyes slowly. It was bright, too bright. He couldn't see. The anti-septic smell and the beeping of monitors told him that he was in a hospital, even before his eyes adjusted to the blindingly bright luminescence glaring down from the bulbs in the ceiling. The familiar buns of Meiling's hair rubbed heavily into his stomach as the girl shifted while sleeping. It hurt a lot more that it should. In fact it shouldn't have hurt at all. Turning his head, he could see Sakura was also there, sleeping awkwardly on a chair with one leg hanging over the armrest, the other stretched out onto another chair. Her head was propped up against the corner of the wall. Her torso was supported by the other armrest of the chair propping her up by the armpit. She looked so innocent like that… so nice. He smiled softly until he realized how much it hurt. What could have happened to him to make it hurt this much? It was as if his entire body was on fire.

Syaoran tried to sit up. He had barely moved when the pain had become unbearable and he was forced to relax but not before several monitors sent out warnings for the elevated heart rate and lack of breathing that the pain had caused. As suddenly as it had started, the beeping ceased. It had been enough to wake Sakura though. Her eyes fluttered open. She gazed at him sleepily then fell off the chair.

"Hoe!" she grumbled as she got up, rubbing her hip where she had hit the floor. She took another look at the boy in the hospital bed. "You're awake?" She asked, surprised to see his eyes open.

"No. I just like sleeping with my eyes open." Syaoran mumbled back, careful to avoid moving to reduce the incredible amount of pain. "Can you please get her off me?" he grunted, "Every time she moves it feels like I swallowed a porcupine."

"MEILING!" Sakura shrieked, dragging the other girl off him, which hurt Syaoran even more than Meiling's sleeping, but he didn't complain.

"Huh?" Meiling groaned sleepily.

"Can't you control yourself, you know the doctor told us we're not supposed to even touch him and you are using him as a pillow."

"He's my fiancée and I can sleep on him if I want." Meiling replied, attempting to get back to her pillow.

"What the hell is wrong with me anyway?" Syaoran interjected, temporarily interrupting the argument. Sakura grabbed her schoolbag from beside the bed and opened up a makeup compact, showing him his reflection in the tiny mirror. Syaoran couldn't believe what he saw. His face was all splotchy. Some parts were red and raw and even oozing, others were dark blue and even some patches of black. He looked quite disgusting. "What the hell is this?!" He groaned, averting his eyes.

"According to the doctor, you got really bad frostbite. It's all over your whole body." Sakura said sadly, "The doctor says that it looks worse than it actually is, your skin should return to its normal color after about two weeks, though you may have a few discoloured spots, but they will most likely be lighter, not black. He also said that you might have suffered some nerve damage in your hands and feet and might have trouble feeling some things, but it shouldn't impair your movement."

Syaoran tried flexing his fingers and toes. He screamed in pain. He could now easily feel the broken bone as well as the necrotized skin. "Tell that damn doctor that he shouldn't have to worry about nerve damage, I feel better than I'd like to. What about you? You were the one who was in trouble."

"I know. Meiling told me what you did for me." Sakura replied, blushing.

"Why did you run off anyway? Baka! You could have gotten yourself killed!" Meling asked desperately. She smacked him on the chest, forgetting his condition.

When he recovered he responded, "I had to stop it. The card would have frozen over the entire beach, then Sakura wouldn't be the only one to be in trouble, and by the way she had stopped breathing, I doubt she would have survived it again so soon." Syaoran paused, allowing the pain from talking to subside before he continued, "I got it good though. It will take a while before the freeze regains its full power."

"Longer than you think." Sakura said. She rummaged around through her bag again. She pulled out the freeze card. "I didn't have to do anything, it was just lying there by the end of the cove. It didn't even put up a fight. There were pieces of it scattered and floating in the water. It had barely begun pulling itself back together. The sound it made was horrible. It hissed and screamed. It sounded like it was in a lot of pain. I think you hurt it even more than it hurt you."

"I find that hard to believe." Syaoran grimaced, "I am in a lot of pain." Syaoran could see a package of morphine hooked to an IV that snaked down into his arm. He wondered how bad it would be if he was not drugged, on second thought, he decided he would rather not find out. "That's my name on the card." He said surprised.

"You deserved it. You defeated it on your own. You got hurt, because I wasn't strong enough."

"It's not your fault. I was the one who was unprepared. I was too concerned about what I was wearing on the beach that I forgot to bring my ofudas and sword with me." Li said, shifting the blame for his injuries back to himself.

"I am going to tell Aunt Yelan that you're awake." Meiling scowled. She obviously did not like Syaoran taking the blame. Of course it was Sakura's fault. She didn't have the training to be a card captor. She wasn't ready. 'No it wasn't Sakura's fault.' Meiling thought, 'It was mine.'

She had been training for most of her life, just to help Syaoran capture the cards. Ever since she had first met him, ever since she had heard of Li Kum Soun's prophecy, she had prepared for this, but when the time had come she hadn't been there to help. She had been with Sakura. Despite Meiling's best efforts, Sakura had gone from being a rival in love, to being a friend.

She didn't deserve Syaoran. At least Sakura had an excuse; she had been incapacitated by the card. Meiling had done nothing. She had been no help when Sakura had been hurt because of her jealousy over the fact that Syaoran had given Sakura mouth to mouth. She hadn't gone with him when he went after the card. If she had, she might have been able to save him sooner instead of waiting until he had popped out from under the ice unconscious. Even then, it had been Sakura, in her weakened state, who had dived into the water and pulled him to shore.

Meiling punched the doorframe as she made it out the door. She couldn't believe how useless she was, to Syaoran, to her family, to the whole clan even. No wonder Syaoran had begun to like Sakura better. Sakura was her exact opposite. Sakura was always kind, she was beautiful, a card captor, and a magical and martial arts prodigy. In short, everything Syaoran and the Clan could possibly want. She had noticed those looks that he sometimes gave Sakura when he thought no one was looking. She had never gotten those looks from him. She knew Syaoran liked her. He did practically anything she asked of him instead of glaring at her and sending her away like he did with all the other girls, at least until Sakura had come along.

Meiling had only seen Syaoran smile at her once, and she had known him over ten years. Sakura had been here for just under a month and she had seen him smiling at Sakura twice. Meiling knew that Sakura didn't know the significance of this, she didn't know Syaoran like Meiling did. Sakura had been the first to break through Syaoran's emotional barriers that had been up at full power since his father had died. She knew her engagement with Syaoran was over. She could see it coming, he had found someone that he liked more than her and anything she did to force them apart would only make him angry at her. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. She loved Syaoran, and if she could get a few more months out of him before he officially ended the engagement, she would enjoy every last precious second of it. She was in the waiting room now. "Yelan-sama!" Meiling said, "Syaoran is awake."

* * *

"When did you go back for it? I haven't been here that long have I?"

"You were brought in yesterday." Sakura replied, "The doctor determined that I was okay very quickly, so I had Wei take me back to the beach while your mother was visiting you. My brother and Yukito came too, but Touya left as soon as he found out that I was all right. They had come in from work. Actually I found out that they weren't all that far from us. They had been working at a water-sports rental shop a little ways up the beach."

"Syaoran." Yelan addressed him as she entered, "How are you doing?"

"Fine." Syaoran replied, "Just a little pain." Yelan sighed as she went off to find a doctor to have Syaoran's morphine drip increased.


	18. Visitor

**CH18: Visitor**

* * *

Sakura, Tomoyo and Meiling visited with Syaoran daily. His condition improved quite rapidly. Four days after he had arrived at the hospital, most of the black patches on his skin had dissipated, leaving delicate and sensitive pink skin in their wake. Syaoran was still in a lot of pain when he moved, but at least he could move now, which Tomoyo and Meiling decided was the proof that it was once again time to start practicing their acts. Syaoran objected saying that he was still in too much pain, but they insisted, saying that they had less than two weeks to go and he had to be ready..

"Like this?" Syaoran asked, demonstrating the complex manoeuvre that the girls had said he needed to perform.

"Perfect!" Meiling said, watching him sneak an ofuda onto the back of the deck of cards while shuffling them. "Now let's see the finale of the card trick portion of the magic act."

"Fire!" He struck the deck with his sword and it exploded in a ball of flame, setting off the sprinklers. Sakura ran into the bathroom where she was safe from the sprinklers.

"Li!" Tomoyo complained, "Are you trying to ruin Sakura's outfit?" All of Li's outfits had been done while he was bed-ridden, because that was the only part of his acts that could be prepared in his condition.

"Is everything alright?" An orderly asked, rushing into the room.

"The sprinkler seems to be broken." Li replied smoothly, "But other than that, everything is just fine." The orderly climbed up onto a chair and removed a tile from the ceiling. He turned a valve and the water stopped flowing.

"This room is soaked. We'll move you into the next room while this room is cleaned up." The orderly led them out the door.

"Li, someone left you some flowers." Sakura said, pointing to a pile of peonies beside the door.

"Not just me." Li said, "It looks like everybody got some. I wonder who did this, and how did they know what my favourite flower is?"

* * *

The orderly showed them to his new room. Once he had left, Syaoran mimicked what he had seen the orderly do the sprinkler in his old room, disabling the one in the new room. This enabled them to practice without having to worry about getting wet.

"Come on Sakura." Li urged, "You have got to learn to do this right." It had been decided that the Clow Cards were too noticeable to be used unobscured, so Sakura was forced to use ofuda magic. She had trouble summoning even the easiest of the elements. She did not know how she was going to summon them on stage. "Like this." Li said, wrapping his arms around her from behind and taking hold of her wand. "Feel my energy and try to imitate me." Li concentrated, summoning his energy slowly so that Sakura could feel what he did precisely and be more easily able to imitate him. "Element wind!" Li guided the staff down onto the ofuda. "Come to my aid." A small portion of Syaoran's energy travelled through Sakura's wand and into the ofuda. A mass of air raced around the room and flew out the window. "Now you try." He said, "I'll help." Sakura concentrated.

"Wind, " Sakura said after a deep breath.

""Wait." Syaoran said, "It's too soon. Just focus your energy now, don't start channelling it." Sakura nodded and tried to keep herself from channelling before it was time.

"Wind," She gathered her energy. Li used his own power to help restrain hers from unleashing prematurely. She struck the ofuda with her wand. "Lend me your power!"

"Too much!" Li said, interfering with the spell. "It only takes a little bit of power to activate. Let's try it one more time."

Together, they did the spell with Li's aura helping Sakura's to do what it should. "Wind, lend me your power!" At first, nothing seemed to happen, except that they were having trouble breathing, and then a loud boom echoed through the hospital as a large volume of air forced itself out of the room through any crack it could find. The force of the expulsion knocked Li and Sakura back into the bed. Li instinctively held Sakura tighter and let himself take the impact. Slamming an extra-sensitive body into the metal rails of the bed, especially with another's weight increasing the momentum, was a very painful impact. Li bit back a scream.

"Syaoran!" Meiling screamed, coming out of the bathroom wearing a partially completed dress, "What are you doing?" She glared at Sakura who was seated on his lap. Li's arms were still tightly around her and his head buried in her hair as he tried to prevent himself from crying from the pain.

"Get the damn doctor!:" Syaoran replied, voice quivering, "I need meds now!"

"Syaoran?" Sakura pried herself from his grip. He didn't respond, afraid that if he said anything he would lose control. Meiling and Tomoyo left to get anyone who could help. She helped Syaoran to slowly climb onto the bed and lay face down. She pulled up his shirt and saw the twin lines from the bars on the bed that were forming into dark bruises. She lightly touched the bruise and a hand flashed up instantly, grabbing her wrist.

"Don't." Syaoran said.

"It hurts that much?" Sakura asked. Syaoran grunted affirmatively. "I'm sorry." She apologized, "This is my fault."

"No."

"It is. Because I can't do magic properly. I did the spell wrong and I landed on you and now you are hurt."

"Not your fault."

"How is it not my fault?"

"I wasn't strong enough." Li replied, beginning to relax, "When I had been learning magic as long as you, I couldn't do anything. You are learning faster than I thought was possible. It took me almost a year of magical training before I could get even the slightest response out of the ofudas. I was supposed to be some sort of magical prodigy… and I was, but I'm nothing compared to you. A month ago your magic was so weak and buried that it was impossible for me to detect, and now, it is so strong that I can't control it. I am just too weak."

"If anything, that makes it even more my fault." Sakura sniffled, "I am too strong for my own good and can't stop myself from hurting people."

"When the spell blasted us, I was the one holding on to you. I made sure that I took the hit. If I hadn't you would have been hurt too."

"Arigatou." She said. He squeezed her wrist gently, and Sakura blushed, realizing that he was still holding on to her. "Li?" She asked after several moments. She realized when he didn't respond that he was asleep. She wondered how he managed to continue holding her wrist while he was asleep. She tried to pull away, but it only made Li's hand grip her wrist even more tightly to the point that it hurt.

* * *

Sakura woke up to the sounds of muffled shouting. It sounded sort of like Meiling. Her legs were stiff from sleeping in a kneeling position beside Syaoran's bed. He had, at some point during their nap, finally released her from his grip.

"Sakura!" another muffled voice shouted.

"Tomoyo?" She called back, wondering why they had not just come in. She opened the door, only to be buried in a cascade of sakura blossoms and peonies. She yelped in surprise, which awakened Syaoran.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I'm buried in flowers." Sakura huffed, as much as she loved sakura blossoms, she didn't want to be buried under them.

Li stood up. He was obviously feeling much better than when he had fallen asleep, though he did wince when he moved his back. "God of the wind, come to my aid." A wind blew through the pile covering Sakura, scattering the blossoms. "Where did all these flowers come from?"

"My guess you be a Clow Card." Sakura said as she stood up. She picked up her key from the ground near the bed where is had fallen earlier. "Key that hides the power of darkness, your mistress Sakura commands you under the contract; reveal your true form before me. Release!" the key grew into the wand. "Windy, blow all the blossoms outside." First the sakura and peony blossoms were blown out the window. Then a pile of blood red lotus blossoms were blown away to reveal Meiling who had been trapped beneath them.

"You okay?" Syaoran asked, scanning the halls for signs of the Clow Card.

"Fine." Meiling replied.

"Where's Tomoyo?" Sakura asked. She could not find her friend anywhere.

"I don't know." Meiling said.

"One minute, we were trying to get through the pile of flowers to the door. The next, I am buried under a mountain of flowers." Meiling replied, "But if she isn't here, the card must have her."

"We've got to find her!"

* * *

Sakura, Meiling and Syaoran followed the flowers strewn upon the ground all through the hallways of the hospital. Apparently this card had been here for a while because it was impossible to find a hall where the floor was not covered in flowers.

"It's so hard to walk through this!" Sakura complained dredging through the river of flowers that restricted her movements.

"If we don't stop this, someone is going to get hurt, or die." Syaoran said.

"But they're just flowers, they're not really dangerous." Sakura said, not seeing the full severity of the situation.

"Many patients are in critical condition, or are being brought in by ambulance or helicopter with serious injuries. How can the doctors get to them to provide treatment, or get the patients into emergency surgery to save their lives if the flowers are blocking their movements?"

"That's perfect!" Tomoyo said from behind one of the doors. They heard a giggle in response.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura, Meiling and Li burst into the room. Tomoyo looked up surprised.

"What are you doing here? We're not ready to shoot 'Sakura the Flower Princess' yet." Tomoyo held up a dress woven of various flowers for inspection.

"Hoe?" Sakura was not expecting to see this. The Clow Card was sitting with Tomoyo and helping her by creating flowers and helping them weave them into the dress that Tomoyo was working on. Sakura sighed happily. It seemed like this one wasn't aggressive like the freeze card had been. "Flowery, please return to your true form." She struck the card with her staff and it transformed into its card form.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo cried, "This is terrible… You didn't give me a chance to finish the dress for the capture!"


	19. Musical Mayhem

**CH19: Musical Mayhem**

* * *

Two days later, Syaoran was released from the hospital. He was told not to over exert himself for at least another week. Sakura, through hours of practice, had finally begun to master ofuda magic. She expected that the elders would be surprised. There had been no clan lessons since the incident at the beach, and as far as the elders knew she could still only incinerate the ofudas... Well, she still did that sometimes, but she could at least summon wind most of the time. The others were trickier. She had yet to even get a trickle out of the water ofudas. Syaoran explained to her that water was one of the harder elements to create and control. It was not the hardest, but it was very difficult. She had learned of all the elements: wind, fire, lightning, water, earth, light, darkness, and chaos. Due to the level of difficulty, they were learned in that order, though most never progressed past water due to its difficulty. Even Li Xiao Fang had not mastered the final element. Li had told her that only a few people in the history of the Li clan had, and none in the past hundred years.

With the element of wind mastered, at least enough for the performance, Tomoyo and Meiling had suggested that they practice their musical piece together. Sakura agreed, though she did mention that she really shouldn't be in the musical performance because she wasn't a good singer. They told her she was being too modest and began to set up. Tomoyo brought out a CD and it started playing an upbeat song and they began with Syaoran as their test audience.

**Tomoyo and Meiling:**

They say that nothing lasts forever,

But I know they are wrong.

For we will always endeavour

to be friends forever long!

Though the world crumbles all around,

and others let you down,

still we will be together

Best friends forever!

**Tomoyo:** I will never let you down.

**Sakura:** (I'll be there,)

**Meiling:** I'll never turn my back.

**Sakura:** (by your side.)

**Tomoyo:** Though we may be far away,

**Meiling:** I'm with you to stay.

**Sakura:** (We're best friends,)

**Tomoyo, Sakura and Meiling:**

Best friends forever.

"Tomoyo, you're a little off." Syaoran said, "It's like you are half a beat ahead of everyone."

"That's impossible." Sakura said, "Tomoyo is never off."

"I thought that I was right on for the timing." Tomoyo said, "Perhaps we should restart from the beginning." The others agreed. They had lost their place in the music anyway. Tomoyo pressed back button in the player to return to the beginning of the song. A bar early, they all heard her voice begin to sing. "They say that nothing lasts forever."

"Tomoyo!" Meiling said.

"…" Sakura, Meiling and Syaoran could see the girl's lips moving, but no sound was coming out. They could still hear her voice singing but it did not match the movements her lips were making.

"Sakura!" Kero burst into the room, his face covered in chocolate pudding. "Is everything alright? I sensed a Clow Card in here."

"…" Sakura tried to reply, but she had been struck as dumb as Tomoyo.

"…" Meiling waved her arms around frantically, screaming silently at everyone.

"We have go to capture that card." Syaoran said. Everyone else stared at him.

"Why can you still talk?" Kero asked rather irritated that his only source of conversation would be the stupid gaki.

"Maybe 'cause I wasn't talking when it attacked or maybe it didn't like my voice. I don't know." They heard Tomoyo's voice coming from the next room.

"…" Sakura waved at them and headed towards the voice. In the next room was a Clow Card. It was in the shape of a woman and was singing in Tomoyo's voice. "…" Sakura held up the key and tried to transform it, but nothing happened. The Clow Card stopped singing and disappeared.

"It got away." Syaoran growled.

"And Sakura can't seal it because she can't say the spell." Kero added.

"There has got to be another way to capture the card." Syaoran said.

"There is no other way stupid kid." Kero replied, "Clow Reed made that staff especially for the purpose of sealing the cards. There's no one alive who can make another and the contract only allows her to wield the staff of sealing."

"…" Sakura grabbed Kero and headed through a door. Syaoran Meiling and Tomoyo followed. They travelled down a long white corridor of Tomoyo's mansion until Sakura stopped at a door.

"The card's in there!" Li and Kero said, rushing into the room. A little pink puff that had been hovering in the centre of the room was startled and zipped between them, escaping.

"That's the Voice Card!" Kero said, "The other is The Song. We're after two cards here." They made their way after the Voice Card.

"…" Sakura pointed to her ears then pointed towards a door further down the hall.

"I think she hears something." Kero said.

"I hear it too. It's Tomoyo's voice." Syaoran replied. They rushed into the room to find the voice card and the song card facing each other. As the song card sang, the voice darted into the song's mouth and the sound stopped. The song looked upset and switched to using Sakura's voice to sing. Sakura could see Meiling yelling at the song card, and it didn't look like she was saying anything nice. The voice card once again darted towards the song card, but the song darted out of the way just in time and the voice missed. "We've got to capture them now, while they are distracted."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Kero asked sarcastically, "They've rendered the only tool to capture them useless."

"I don't know. Maybe I'll just get you to talk to them until they return back to their card forms to escape the torture."

"…" Sakura indicated that she had an idea. She stood, back to Syaoran's chest and wrapped his arms around her, which caused Meiling to switch who she was silently ranting at. Sakura made him hold out his hands in from of her and then put her hands, cupping the key, on top.

"You want me to help with the spell, like I did with the ofudas?" Syaoran asked. Sakura nodded. "I guess it's worth a try. Key that holds the power of darkness, reveal your true form before us. Your mistress Sakura commands you. Release!" Syaoran recited as Sakura focused her energy. The magical winds drew into the key and infused it with power, causing it to grow into the staff of sealing, as if Sakura had performed the spell on her own. Sakura plucked the staff out of the air and held it ready to seal the two battling cards. "Voice, Song," Syaoran said, placing his hands over Sakura's. "Return to your true form!" Sakura and Syaoran brought the staff down towards the cards. They transformed backed into their card form and floated straight to the ground, going to neither Li nor Sakura.

"… mine! How dare you cozy up to…" Meiling's rants became audible. "My voice is back!" she celebrated.

"The cards didn't go to either of us." Sakura said.

"We caught them together. I guess since there are two, we should each get one."

"Is there one that you like more than the other?" Sakura asked.

"If you don't care I'll take the song." Syaoran replied. Sakura picked up the cards and handed Li the one he had requested.

"Why didn't you pick that one?" Sakura asked.

"No reason." He replied, "I just figured it would be more useful." He said as he turned around to leave.

* * *

Back at the Li mansion, Li lay on his bed and stared out the window. "Sing it in her voice again." he said for the third time. He listened to the music the song created and closed his eyes.


	20. Running With Wolves

**CH20: Running with the Wolves**

* * *

"BAKA!" Sakura shouted as she stomped on Li's foot. Li winced. He should have known better than to continue what Touya had started, but he just couldn't keep his mouth shut around Sakura.

"Damn!" Syaoran said while clutching his foot, "Why does Japan need Godzilla when they have you to flatten things." Sakura stormed out.

"I'm going for a walk. If I catch you following me…" Sakura let the threat hang as she left the mansion into the chilly evening air. There was two days until the talent show and Sakura had accidentally demolished one of the props. Touya had said that he would fix the damage from the attack of the 'kaijyuu'. The fact that he was helping had temporarily spared him her wrath. Li, on the other hand, had no such protection when he had continued making fun of her.

* * *

After twenty minutes, she stopped in the park. She lay down on a bench and stared up at the stars.

"If that's you Li, I still haven't forgiven you." She said when she heard a twig snap. "Li?" She asked when she received no response. She looked around. There was no one near her. 'Must have been a squirrel or something.' she thought, or at least that's what she thought until a cold wet nose prodding her cheek almost gave her a heart attack.

The brown wolf was sitting on the ground in front of the bench. It let out a gentle whine.

"You want to know what my problem is, don't you." Sakura said as she looked at the wolf. She reached out to stroke the wolf's fur. "Can I?" She asked. The wolf licked her hand in response. "Thanks." she said. She loved the way it bright amber eyes looked and the shaggy hair that she would have thought uncombed had it been on a human, but then he was human sometimes wasn't he. She wondered what he might look like. "You are so much nicer than Li." she said stroking his fur. "Li can only act human when he has a task to complete; otherwise he's a total jerk." The wolf nuzzled the arm that was stroking him. "You're not like him at all are you. Everything you've done has been completely selfless, from that first time you saved me until now when you're sitting here listening to me rag on my 'fiancée.' Or at least that's what the contract my father signed says he is. I wish it was you instead." She wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck and gave him a hug.

"KAWAII!"

"Tomoyo?" Sakura looked up surprised to find Tomoyo catching every second of the exchange on camera.

"The lovers' quarrel throws the poor girl into the arms of another man, who is not a man." Tomoyo said, "It's like my very own beauty and the beast."

The wolf growled discontentedly at being referred to as a beast.

"I guess you like that as much as I like being called kaijyuu, huh?" Sakura giggled. The wolf nodded. "What are you doing out here anyway. Tomoyo?" She asked.

"The sky was so clear tonight that I thought I would get some nice skyscapes to use as backgrounds and textures for editing my movies, not that they need much editing with all the special effects just having you there adds to them."

"Well I think you are going to capture more than stars on film tonight." Sakura said, "I'm sensing a Clow Card." At this, the wolf perked its ears and looked around.

"Sakura is always a star." Tomoyo smiled. She pulled out her cell-phone and pushed a speed-dial button. A limo on the other side of the park drove around and parked near to them. One of Tomoyo's body guards stepped out.

"Do you need anything miss?" She asked.

"Sakura is going to change into the outfit in the back." Tomoyo said, "After that I will no longer need you to stay. I will walk home with Sakura and her dog."

"Very well Miss Tomoyo." The lady said, opening the door for the three of them to enter the limo.

"This will be great." Tomoyo said, "I finished this outfit this afternoon. Try it on." Sakura did as she was asked after covering the wolf's head with a blanket and telling him not to peek.

* * *

"Do I really have to wear this?" Sakura asked as she was fidgeting with the strange apparel. The outfit consisted of a black tube top with blue leather shoulder pads and miniskirt with pink trim. It also came with a pale blue cape that draped over the shoulder pads and split in two half way down, a blue hat with a small brim jutting out the back connected to a wide pink ribbon that flowed out behind her and a pair of fingerless pale blue gloves. While Sakura had been changing, Tomoyo had managed to use some left-over leather to create a collar with Sakura's name on it and attached it to the wolf, despite its protests.

"It's too late to change now." Tomoyo replied signalling that her bodyguard should leave before Sakura could have a chance to change her mind.

"Well let's go." Sakura said, resigned to the fact that she was stuck wearing Tomoyo's creation.

"You coming…?" Sakura paused, "What's your name anyway? I guess you can't really tell us while you're like this."

"Why don't you make up a name for him."

"I have an idea. It's not really that creative… but how about we just call him little wolf."

"I don't know something just doesn't seem right about it."

"What about in Chinese?"

"That would be Xiao Lang" Tomoyo giggled.

"There is no way I am naming him after that baka!"

"Li usually goes by his last name doesn't he? And those who do use his first name usually use the Japanese version." Tomoyo reasoned, "Besides, the name suits him."

"I guess you're right." Sakura replied, "Is that okay with you?" She asked, crouching down to stroke him. The wolf, now dubbed 'Xiao Lang' barked in what Sakura assumed was agreement.

"Then it's time for the adventures of card captor Sakura and her faithful dog Xiao Lang as they search for the elusive Clow Card." Tomoyo said. Almost as if the phrase had called to it, a white blur zipped out of the bushes and passed in between them. It was gone before they could get a clear look at what it was.

With a growl, Xiao Lang gave chase.

"That was it, let's go after it!" Sakura informed Tomoyo who was barely keeping up.

"It's going too fast!" Tomoyo said, as it disappeared through the trees.

"Key that hides the power of darkness," Sakura chanted, "Your mistress, Sakura, commands you to reveal your true form. Release!" When the wand had materialized from her key, she called forth the wood. "Make a barrier and stop the card from escaping!" The trees ahead began growing together, creating an enclosed area that had only one exit, and that was towards Sakura.

The creature stopped and Sakura, Xiao Lang, and Tomoyo came close enough to get a good look at the cat-like creature.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo said, focusing on the quivering animal ahead of them that had been cornered the growling wolf.

"Come here." Sakura cooed as she was reaching for the frightened card. It hissed and snapped at her. It probably would have bitten her had a mass of brown shaggy fur not intervened, pinning the animal with its paw. Sakura picked it up gently as she began stroking it and muttering comforting things to it. Slowly, it calmed down. "Now, will you please return to your card form?" She asked. The card replied with a purr as it transformed.

Sakura smiled and signed the card. This one had just been scared. Now she had it and would protect it so it wouldn't have to be scared anymore.

"Why don't you show me what it can do?" Tomoyo asked.

"Maybe I will." Sakura answer, "You up for a little race Xiao Lang?" The wolf barked and tensed into a ready stance.

"Go!" Tomoyo shouted. The girl and the wolf took off on a run around the park. At first Xiao Lang had a healthy lead, but then Sakura used The Dash and easily passed him.

* * *

Sakura collapsed back where she had started earlier in the evening. She lay panting on the park bench with her head on Tomoyo's lap. The wolf was panting even harder, having had no magical forces helping it run.

"Why don't you let me know who you are?" Sakura asked, trailing her fingers along the wolf's ribs. "Is it because you don't like me?"

The wolf whimpered in response.

"Then why not?" Sakura asked, finding the one spot that made the wolf's leg begin to twitch.

"Maybe he's afraid of what you might think of him." Tomoyo suggested.

"But there's nothing to be afraid of. I like him as a wolf, so I would like him as a person."

Xiao Lang sighed.

"You're not going to let me know are you?" Sakura said. The wolf looked away. "It's okay." She said, "I can wait until you're ready."

Xiao Lang licked her face then disappeared into the night.

"Sakura, did he just kiss you?" Tomoyo asked.

"I don't know, maybe." Sakura blushed.

"Was that your first time?"

"…" Sakura nodded.

"KAWAII" Tomoyo squealed, "I wish I hadn't run out of tape. That would have been a perfect moment to capture. If only I had known that I would run into Sakura-chan tonight!"

"Who kissed you?" A menacing voice asked.

"Touya? What are you doing here?"

"Part-time job." Yukito replied for him, "We clean up the litter in the park for the city."

"Now answer the question." Touya demanded, "I swear I'll beat up every boy in the city, just to make sure I get the right one."

"No-one." Sakura responded, "Besides, if you beat up every boy you would have to beat up Yukito too."

"And I'm sure he'd enjoy it." Yukito joked, "He likes to get rough."

"Come on Tomoyo, let's leave before they give us a demonstration."

* * *

"How long have your brother and Yukito…"

"They've been together for three years now." Sakura said, "When I was younger, I used to have the hugest crush on Yukito-san. I don't really know why. He was always kind to me and sort of reminded me of otou-san. He knew about my crush and humoured me until just before he got together with Touya." Sakura said dreamily, "At first I was upset, because I liked Yukito, but I eventually learned to be happy for them. I really should have seen it earlier; he was the only boy that came near me that Touya did not beat up."

"When you truly care for someone, you can be happy because they are happy even if you know you can't be with them." Tomoyo smiled.

"Have you ever met anyone like that."

"I have only met one person like that. I know nothing will ever happen between us, so I am content to just be their friend and make sure that they are happy."

* * *

When Sakura returned home, it was almost midnight. She snuck in through her open window and collapsed, exhausted, on her bed. She heard the crinkling of paper and found a note on her bed.

'You wouldn't like me when I'm human, so this is the only way I can be your friend. –Xiao Lang'

Sakura didn't know what to think. How bad could he be as a human? His change was just physical wasn't it? Had she done something to his human form to make him think she didn't like him? That had to be it. She would have to apologize to him the next time they met and make sure that he knew that she would like him no matter what. The thought that he was some creepy stalker who knew where she lived and had snuck into her room did not occur to her.


	21. The Night of Talent

**CH21: The Night of Talent**

* * *

"I'm going early to set up," Li said immediately after supper.

"You had better be ready for the show then," Sakura replied. Tomoyo and Meiling had been making them practice daily, so she felt that she could do the show in her sleep. If their acts weren't the best, they would at least have the most. No one else was participating in more than one act, though some students had taken on some stage duties in addition to the acts they were to perform. With the martial arts, fashion show, the musical number, and the magic show, Sakura was going to be up on stage for over an hour of performance. The talent show was scheduled to start at six, and it was estimated that it would last till at least ten, if not later.

It was quite the event in the Li household, especially when the family learned that Sakura and Syaoran were going to be using real magic on stage during the performances. They had almost been forbidden to perform. Syaoran, however, managed to convince the elders that no one would know that any real magic was being used and that the audience would think it was all stage magic. Though they received permission to do the performance, the hubbub it caused had alerted practically the whole clan to the activity. Many of them had decided that this would be a perfect time to evaluate the skills of the future leader and his fiancée.

* * *

Sakura and Meiling met up with Tomoyo and Li at the school. The auditorium was completely packed, forcing all students to remain backstage until their performances. The first act was Tomoyo's martial arts fashion show. Tomoyo would talk about her designs while Meiling, Sakura, and Syaoran rotated on and off stage, fighting each other, for the audiences' viewing pleasure. Despite Sakura's relatively recent entrance into the martial arts, she handled herself brilliantly, almost equal to Syaoran and Meiling.

"Wasn't that great?" Yamazaki announced, "In ancient times, warriors would dress up in order to intimidate the... OWW! I mean next we have Chiharu and…"

* * *

Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo quickly changed and prepared for their next act. There were a few acts between them, but most of the other acts were not even as elaborate as a single one of theirs. They practiced their dance moves while they waited. Syaoran watched, pointing out any flaws that they should look out for in their final performance

"Up next," Yamazaki announced, "We have a musical performance by three young ladies you are already familiar with. Please welcome Tomoyo, Meiling, and Sakura back on stage as they sing an original song entitled 'Best Friends.'"

They walked onto the stage, wearing what appeared to be sophisticated evening dresses in red, purple, and green that had been modified to provide more freedom of movement. The smooth, upbeat music began to play. The girls' bodies swayed with the music. On cue, Tomoyo and Meiling began.

**Tomoyo and Meiling:**_  
_They say that nothing lasts forever,  
But I know that they are wrong.  
For we will always endeavour  
To be friends forever long!

Everything was perfect. Each step was in place and each note was pitched perfectly.

**Tomoyo and Meiling:**_  
_Though the whole world crumbles all around,  
And all others let you down,  
Still we will be together  
We'll be best friends forever!

Li gave them a thumbs up. Things were going very well. None of their practice sessions had gone this well. The music picked up and began to take on a techno feel as they prepared to launch into the chorus.

**Sakura**: (Cause we're best friends)  
**Tomoyo: **I will never let you down.  
**Sakura: **(I'll be there,)  
**Meiling: **I'll never turn my back.  
**Sakura: **(by your side.)  
**Tomoyo: **Though we may be far away,  
**Meiling: **I'm with you to stay.  
**Sakura: **(Cause we're best friends,)  
**Tomoyo, Meiling and Sakura:  
**Best friends forever.

Sakura's voice, though not as trained as Tomoyo's nor Meiling's, came out crystal clear as she provided the alternate echo-chorus. Suddenly, the spotlight wavered. People in the audience toppled over, leaning on the shoulders of whomever was next to them. Soon after, Syaoran rushed onto the stage, dodging a blue fairy-like creature that was chasing him.

"Is that…?" Tomoyo asked before the fairy dribbled some sparkling sleeping dust on her as it flew overhead. She was thankful that her mother had had the forethought to hire a camera crew to set up tripods with cameras that would catch the performance. She would get footage of Sakura capturing the card in one of her designs.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura cried out. Tomoyo, being fast asleep, did not respond. The blue fairy, having temporarily given up on Li, turned its attention to Sakura.

"Watch out!" Meiling pushed Sakura out of the way, taking a sprinkle of the fairy dust herself in the process. As Meiling drifted off to dreamland, Sakura dodged another charge of the diminutive creature.

"The powder is what's putting people to sleep, right?" Sakura asked as she rolled to dodge another flurry.

"I think so." Syaoran responded.

"Then there might be an easy way to win this." She ran backstage where their clothes and other props were being stored while they performed. She grabbed a wand out of the box containing equipment for their magic show and ran back out.

"Come and get me!" She yelled. The creature zoomed towards her. Sakura pointed the wand prop at the dust trailing from the Clow Card. "WIND! Lend me your power!" The ofuda hidden inside the wand reacted as she poured power into it and generated a current of air that brought up the card's own dust, dropping it back on the card who spawned it. The card was apparently not immune to its own effect and plummeted to the ground.

"How long do you think it will be out for?" Syaoran asked.

"Hopefully long enough for me to find the key of the seal. I couldn't wear it with this dress." Sakura said as she was going backstage to search through the clothing that had been left there.

"How are you going to finish the act? When everyone wakes up, they'll wonder what happened."

"I don't know, I guess we will just have to start over and hope no one notices when they wake up. Try to wake Meiling and Tomoyo." Waking them didn't present too much of a problem for Li. A good rough shake woke the girls up as readily as if they had been in any non-magical sleep.

* * *

Soon everything was set up. Sakura sealed the sleep card, and placed it and the wand with the rest of her belongings. When the three girls were positioned on stage, Li restarted the music. The girls sang and the audience began to awaken. By the time they returned to the place they had left off, the entire auditorium was awake and enraptured by the girls' performance.

**Tomoyo and Meiling:**_  
_Through all the fair and foul weather,  
Facing happiness and strife.  
We'll ride it out together,  
This roller coaster of life.

Though darkness comes and covers each one,  
You shine for me like the sun.  
I'll follow you, you light the way  
never leading me astray.

**Sakura**: (Cause we're best friends)  
**Tomoyo: **I will never let you down.  
**Sakura: **(I'll be there,)  
**Meiling: **I'll never turn my back.  
**Sakura: **(by your side.)  
**Tomoyo: **Though we may be far away,  
**Meiling: **I'm with you to stay.  
**Sakura: **(Cause we're best friends,)  
**Tomoyo, Meiling and Sakura:  
**Best friends forever.

**Tomoyo and Meiling:  
**Like diamonds it's shining forever  
Like glue that always holds fast  
A bond nothing can sever;  
Friendship that will always last.

It may not seem like each little thing  
is right when it's happening,  
Surely it will get better,  
bring us closer together.

**Tomoyo, Meiling and Sakura:  
**As Best friends forever!

They finished. They stood there, posed, for what seemed like an eternity before the audience burst into applause.

"I think they liked it." Meiling smirked. The girls smiled and bowed before heading off stage.

"If they liked that, wait until they see Sakura-chan's final performance."

"Wow! What a great performance!" Yamazaki announced, "They have certainly given us a show tonight. Two great performances. I, for one, cannot wait to see their final performance at the end of the evening." This sparked another round of applause from the audience.

"Wow, they really liked us."

"Of course they did; Who could not like any performance with me in it?" Meiling gloated.

"Up next we have Rusaki Numaru doing ventriloquism."

"I have an idea." Meiling grinned, "Why don't you give the dummy a taste of the voice card."

"I don't see what using the voice on Syaoran would accomplish," Sakura replied. Despite their ability to work together well, they still hadn't gotten past their little fight from two days ago. Syaoran just let incidents after that slide, and Sakura was finding it harder to bring herself to insult him without him doing much resembling retaliating. She was feeling guilty that she had held a grudge this long because she usually didn't act like this towards anyone.

"If I'm such a dummy, I guess you don't want my help in math class anymore…"

"I don't want to ruin his performance. But it might be funny when he gets off stage," Sakura said, ignoring Li's comment.

Rusaki-san's performance, however, was not that great and the voice card certainly would have given it a bit more life. "I should have listened," she told Meiling, "That was possibly the most boring five minutes of my life." The ventriloquism had been good, but unfortunately, the dummy hadn't had anything interesting to say.


	22. Captive Audience

**CH22: Captive Audience**

* * *

"You did pretty good on the Sleep Card," Syaoran complimented. "I didn't know you had gotten that good yet with the ofudas."

"I've been practicing… a lot," Sakura said as she remembered the hours she had spent every day trying to perfect the use of ofuda magic. In some ways, magic came naturally to her, in others she had to practice harder than anyone else did. People didn't say it, but she knew they expected a lot out of her and she didn't want to disappoint them.

"This is going to be good." Tomoyo said, "Yamazaki-kun is going to tell a story."

"You could say that anytime and be right," Chiharu said as she approached them, "but this time at least he is supposed to be doing it."

"Ever since the beginning of time, man has competed. There are innumerable ways to compete. Each competition is important to the pride of those who compete. They desire to be recognized as the best at their form of competition." Yamazaki said, "Hundreds of years ago, in ancient Egypt, there lived a pharaoh who loved to watch his subjects fight for supremacy by any means. He saw many competitions for various sports and other skills throughout his life, but he found that it lacked variety. He decided that the best show would be one demonstrating all skills.

"He called for his advisors and devised a competition open to all the men and women of the land. He would watch as each person demonstrated his or her greatest talent. The one that most pleased him would be given the opportunity to win the hand of whichever of his children they wished. In order to claim their prize, however, they had to challenge the pharaoh himself to the same competition. If they should lose they would be put to death.

"The winner of the competition was a man who refused to give his name. He dazzled the pharaoh with feats of spectacular illusions and magic. When the time came for the pharaoh to face the man, he changed the rules claiming that he could use anything in his possession for competition against the winner. He chose to use all of the magicians and priests that he kept at his court. A heroic battle ensued as the lone magician fended off the attacks. Though he was wearied and mortally wounded in the struggle, the man prevailed. He chose not to take his prize, but instead he said that because of the pharaoh's dishonesty, there would forever be enmity between the houses of the Pharaoh Tsutukuk and the house of the sorceror who revealed his name to be Clow Reed.

"After that day, the pharaoh declared that he would destroy the source of this Reed's power, even if it took until the end of time." The audience was on the edge of their seats, waiting for any other tidbits of the story might offer. "Now," Yamazaki said, "It's time for another show of magic. For the final event of the evening, I present the mystical skills of Kinomoto Sakura and Syaoran Li!"

"That was great!" Chiharu said, "Finally, he's found a creative use for his lies."

The lights on the stage went out and the entire auditorium became pitch black.

* * *

This all had to be timed perfectly. If they missed their cues, the audience might see them performing real magic.

"You ready?" Syaoran asked.

"No, I don't think I'll ever be ready for this," Sakura replied. "But I can't back out now."

"Then let's do this right," Syaoran said making sure they had everything they needed. "Three… Two… One… King of lightning, come to my aid!" He whispered. It was actually one of the hardest things he had to master in order to prepare for the act. His entire life he had shouted out the words, but the audience couldn't hear their incantations, or they might suspect the show was more than some expensive parlour tricks. Electricity flashed down onto the stage. Moments later a lone spotlight activated, focused on the center of the stage.

"God of wind." Syaoran leapt over the edge of the railing of the catwalk they had been on, allowing himself to plummet headfirst towards the stage. Many audience members gasped, and others screamed as they saw the boy plummet towards to what appeared to be certain doom. He spread out his body and the wind buffeted his torso and stopping his fall in mid air. The wind rotated his body until he was right side up and landed neatly on his feet.

Sakura, while still concealed above, called upon the jump card and then concealed her staff. She jumped down. Her descent was magically slowed to a safe speed and Syaoran caught her in his arms before setting her down. It all looked very professional, especially with their special tuxedos that Tomoyo had fashioned.

Syaoran produced a deck of cards. He laid them face down on his palm. "Wind!" He muttered. The cards burst from his hand. For a second they hovered in the air before falling back towards him. As the cards fell back towards Syaoran, Sakura used her special wand to call upon the wind and waved the wand towards the audience. Each card, just before it reached Syaoran zipped off in a straight line over the audience.

As the last card fell, Syaoran struck it, and the ofuda he had snuck onto the back of it, with his wand and called forth fire that followed the line of cards. Each one was completely incinerated. Sakura and Li did a few more small tricks, and then stepped back into the shadows.

Meiling appeared. She was pushing a large box. It was time for Sakura's finale. Sakura and Li stepped forward and grabbed Meiling by the arms. They opened the box, allowing the audience to see inside. The two magicians shoved Meiling into the box and shut the door. Sakura grabbed the back of the back and Syaoran grabbed the front. They spun the box in a full circle. When the box had stopped its rotation, the back panel of the box spun around, allowing Meiling and Sakura to switch places. Sakura, concealed from the audience by the box, called upon the flowery card to fill the box with sakura blossoms.

Li opened the door on the front of the box and a gust of wind blew the blossoms out over the audience, revealing Sakura to them. The crowd was awed. Sakura shut the door. Meiling used this opportunity to return to her position inside back inside the box. Sakura and Syaoran rotated the box in a circle once again, but in the opposite direction they had the first time. When they opened the box, Meiling stepped out. She ran from the stage pretending to be frightened of the two who had made her disappear.

Sakura and Syaoran took a bow and the lights disappeared. A few seconds later, the lights came on. The two magicians, and all their props, had disappeared.

The audience applauded. It had not been a long performance, but it had been impressive.

* * *

"I swear, I have never seen a professional magician put on a better performance," Yamazaki said to the crowd. They responded with a deafening cheer. Yamazaki looked towards the group of students who had been chosen to judge the competition. "It looks like a unanimous decision both by judges and audience. First place goes to Kinomoto Sakura and Syaoran Li for their performances. Second place goes to…"

* * *

"Too bad we could only do tricks we could explain in non-magic means," Syaoran said. "That performance could have been even better."

"Well at least this way we can explain everything away with wires, trap doors, and an accelerant," Tomoyo replied.

"Well if you don't want to explain it to everyone, perhaps we should leave a little early," Meiling pointed out.

"You go on ahead without me," Li said. "I have to do something before I go home."

"I think I am going to just go straight home to bed," Sakura said. "It is a lot more tiring to do magic through those wands than through my staff." The girls headed towards the emergency exit so they would not have to pass through the crowd. They ran into a few students who congratulated them on their performances. Every one of them asked how the magic tricks were done, but Sakura brushed them off with the old saying 'a magician never reveals her secrets'.

"Hoe!" Sakura fell to the ground after walking into the door. "Why didn't the door open? The emergency exits are never supposed to be locked." Tomoyo pushed on the bar that was supposed to open the door. The bar depressed but the door remained firmly shut.

"It seems to be stuck. Let's try another door." Tomoyo suggested.

They walked towards the next closest exit and found Syaoran there trying to open it without success.

"All the doors are sealed."

"Let me try." Meiling delivered a solid kick to the door that should have smashed it right off its hinges, but the door didn't budge.

"It must be a Clow Card, but I can't sense where it is," Syaoran said.

"We've got to capture it quickly." Sakura said, "If people find out that they are trapped in here, they might begin to panic."

Almost immediately after Sakura said that, they heard Yamazaki make an announcement. "It seems that the main doors are jammed. Please proceed to the emergency exits."

"Key that hides the powers of darkness, reveal your true form before me, Sakura commands you to release! Sleep Card! Put everyone but us to sleep."

"Good idea, now we can use our magic without worrying about being spotted." Syaoran tried everything he could think of to open the doors. Not even the magic of his ofudas left a scratch on them.

"Tomoyo, may I borrow your cellphone?"

"Sure, it's in my pocket." She said, unable to get it herself due to the fact that she had commandeered a rather large camera from a tripod to record the capture.

Sakura retrieved the phone and dialled the number of the Li mansion with the extension for her own room.

"Yo!" A voice answered.

"Kero," She said, "We're having trouble with a Clow Card that's appeared."

"Which one is it?"

"We don't know which card it is, but all the doors are sealed and we can't get out."

"That sounds like the Lock Card." Kero replied.

"How do we capture it?"

"Once you get it to reveal itself it should be easy." After a second, an explosion was heard, "Yes! Level 12! All you have to do is open a door."

"But we tried everything, the doors won't budge."

"Just use the key, it will open any door. Gotta go; the next guy is really hard." With a click, the phone disconnected. Sakura reverted the staff to its key form. Despite the differences in size, the key slid easily into the much smaller keyhole on the door. With a turn of the key, the door opened and a green padlock with wings appeared. It flapped its wings and headed towards another door.

"King of lightning, come to my aid!" Syaoran blasted The Lock with lightning and it fell to the floor. Sakura once again released the staff and sealed the lock. The card floated over to Syaoran.

"I wish I had known about this earlier," Sakura said. "This would have been useful that time you locked me out of the bathroom."


	23. Dinner Preparations

**CH23: Dinner Preparations**

* * *

Sakura stood somewhere in the middle of Hong Kong. Below her was a well that emitted an eerie blue light. The wind ruffled the pink cape she was wearing. She could hear the birds chirping, hundreds of them. There was a drop of water.

Sakura hit the floor. She looked around. She was in her room at the Li mansion. "That was a strange dream." She said to herself.

"That wasn't just a dream." Kero said, "I could easily sense its power even when I was asleep."

"What do you mean?"

"Sakura!" Syaoran burst into the room. Sakura screamed and covered herself despite the fact that she was wearing her pink silk pyjamas.

"Don't you knock?" She threw a pillow at him.

"Don't you thank someone who comes rushing to help when your aura pulses like a strobe light?"

"There's nothing wrong... It was just a dream."

"If I know anything about dreams, this one was a prophetic one." Kero said, "Whatever you saw is going to happen."

"I was standing in the city. I heard birds and I could see light coming from a well."

"I wonder what that could mean." Kero puzzled, "It doesn't really give us much information.

"It will be alright," Syaoran said. It reminded Sakura of her invincible spell. "If it is important, the dream will come again, and then we will learn whatever it is trying to tell us."

"I hope it doesn't come true. Something felt wrong about that place."

* * *

"Xiao Lang, Sakura, make sure that you return immediately after school today," Yelan told them as they ate.

"What's going on?" Syaoran asked, already dreading whatever it could be.

"Rusaki Chen, the head of the Shiza Corporation, is coming over for dinner to discuss a possible merger. They are currently working on a piece of technology that is of interest to the clan. The futures division has predicted annual profit of over one hundred million dollars just on this one item, not to mention the profits they already accrue from their established lines of products. It will be a great asset to the Li clan if we can finalize the merger tonight. If not, a hostile takeover will cost close to one billion dollars, which will mean that it would not be profitable for at least ten years.

"As the future head of the Li clan, it is your duty to be there – with your fiancée." Neither Sakura nor Syaoran objected to this title. They had given up fighting Yelan in her insistence of referring to Sakura in this manner.

"Will we have to do anything?" Sakura asked.

"Just be polite. The elders and I will handle all the business matters, though Syaoran will review the results of the negotiations later as training."

* * *

"I can't. Some guy is coming to dinner and we have to impress him."

"Who wouldn't be impressed with the most kawaii person on the planet?" Tomoyo asked. "If you can't stay, at least walk home with me, I have something for you."

"Let me guess, a dress?" Sakura asked.

"I should know better than trying to surprise someone with magical abilities like yours."

"It doesn't take any magic at all, you always have a dress for me to wear," Sakura responded. "Syaoran, it's going to be a formal dinner right?"

"Hai," Syaoran grunted. He barely moving his focus from the work he was doing.

"Very formal," Another student behind them said. "My dad got me a new suit just for this occasion." It was Rusaki Numaru, the dull boy from the talent show.

"Your father is Rusaki Chen?" Sakura asked.

"Hai. He said that I have to come and learn how things are done and represent the company to the future leaders of the Li Corporation."

"Rusaki Chen," Tomoyo mused. "I know I've heard that name before."

"My father's company supplies some of the parts for Daidouji Toys. Shiza Corp. also is one of your main competitors in parts and replacement. Of course all of our divisions compete with Li Corp. It seems like there is no aspect of business in which Li Corp. is not involved."

"You know a lot about business."

"I have been training for this for years," he replied. "It is important for a leader to know his enemies better than he knows himself."

"This is business, not war." Syaoran said, "Sun Tzu's wisdom will not always be effective."

"I disagree," Rusaki said. "It is war."

"Then I hope you are planning to surrender," Li growled. This guy was getting on his nerves. Rusaki only smiled, ending the conversation in awkward silence.

* * *

"Hurry up!" Tomoyo giggled gleefully, "I want a chance to capture you in the dress before you leave."

"Why exactly am I here?" Li asked, following behind as they headed towards Tomoyo's house.

"Because, Sakura asked you to, and you said yes," Tomoyo replied.

"Obviously you must have misheard me," Syaoran grumbled as they entered the door and headed towards Tomoyo's room.

"Miss, would you like some tea or cake for your friends?" a maid asked as they rushed by.

"Arigatou, but we are in a hurry." Sakura answered for Tomoyo.

Once inside Tomoyo's room, Tomoyo searched her closet and pulled out a dress.

"Put this on." She said, handing Sakura the emerald green dress, which at the top was an elegant evening dress, and at the bottom puffed out into a semi-Victorian styled layered dress combining pale pinks and various shades of green. Sakura rushed into the closet and closed the door. "And this is for you." Tomoyo said, handing Li a much simpler outfit. It looked like a dark green tuxedo with a pink shirt, except instead of a jacket and vest there was a green Chinese-style sleeveless shirt that almost would have resembled a slightly long vest if it hadn't connected in front with ties instead of buttons.

"It fits," He said, after he changed in the bathroom. It was quite a nice outfit, though he did not particularly like the pink shirt.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo smiled, it looked exactly as she had intended.

"How do I look?" Sakura asked half a minute later.

"Umm… Good?" Syaoran mumbled, noticing how the silk top-half of the dress clung to her.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo shrieked, "Get close to Li now." She said, "I want to get the two of you together." She activated the camera she a picked up. "You two look great together," She said, making Syaoran blush. "I designed those outfits to match, so you will surely impress Rusaki-san."

* * *

Sakura and Li arrived at the mansion later than usual, though only by a few minutes. It may have only been a few minutes, but the glare they received from Li Yelan made it feel like they had skipped the event altogether. In light of the fact that the extra few minutes had been spent preparing themselves, Yelan did not orate her displeasure, and resisted the urge to smile at the fact that their outfits matched each other perfectly.

"You have seven minutes to prepare for their arrival, and then you will be expected here waiting for the arrival of Rusaki-san and his guests. Remember, if you need anything; do not yell for the servants to bring it. Instead, wave them over and whisper your request to them. If you must leave for some reason, ensure that you excuse yourself politely first and hurry back immediately after. Tonight, manners are of the utmost importance."

"Will Touya and Yukito-san be here?" Sakura asked, wondering how Touya would ever remain courteous to any stranger, at least without glaring at them.

"Of course." Touya said. He appeared in a black suit that made him look like a younger version of Wei.

"I have hired you brother and his friend to help tonight, since there are more people to accommodate today." Suddenly, Sakura was flying down the hall and into the bathroom thanks to the pull of four pairs of hands that immediately went to work on her face and hair.

"Two minutes, girls!" Fuutie cried, urging them to speed up the process. Sakura yelped as her hair was tugged at. Fanren used the opportunity to put some sparkling cherry scented lip-gloss on her.

"Quick, someone hand me a hair pin!" Sheifa said. She grabbed one proffered by Feimei who had finished her side and had extras.

Almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Sakura hadn't even had a chance to check what had been done. Based on the scowl Meiling made when she was brought back to the front hall by the Li sisters, she looked good.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Click. The hands of a grandfather clock moved to the position of a quarter past four. "Ding-dong." The deep chime of the doorbell rang out.

"Everyone in position!" Yelan ordered. The girls stood at attention ordered from oldest to youngest to the back and left of Yelan's position. Li stood just in front of them. When Sakura didn't move, Syaoran dragged her over beside him.

Touya opened the door. "Welcome to the Li residence, Rusaki-Sama. Please come in. If you require anything, I would be honoured to retrieve it for you." He held the door open and gestured for the people to enter.

An imposing man with black hair and dark hazel eyes stepped into the house. A group of people followed him in and neatly arranged themselves. Li-sama and Rusaki-sama observed the other's guests.

"Allow me to introduce my family," Yelan said after a long uncomfortable silence. Rusaki-sama had begun showing signs of restlessness and had been about to break the proper order and introduce himself first. The slight smirk in Yelan's eye told Sakura that Yelan had won something here and had started the evening by gaining a position of authority over Rusaki.

"These are my daughters: Fuutie, Fanren, Sheifa, and Feimei, and Meiling." She gestured towards each of the girls in turn. Sakura wondered why Yelan had referred to Meiling as her daughter, but was distracted quickly as Yelan moved on. "This is my son, Syaoran, and his future wife, Sakura, the heirs to the Li Corporation. And I am Li Yelan, the interim leader of the Li Corporation."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Rusaki said. He sounded a bit shaken. He listed off his companions. Most of them were lawyers, and a few were consequential stockholders. The final member of his party was his son, Rusaki Numaru.

* * *

When they were finished exchanging pleasantries, Yelan lead everyone towards the living room for tea. Syaoran stopped Sakura from following, and waited until the others were out of earshot. "Make sure you follow my lead. Do not say anything unless spoken to, and then only answer concisely and accurately, unless one of us signals you not to, then evade the question. Everything we do represents the company and the clan and every action has a purpose.

"Did you notice what she did?" Syaoran asked, "By letting him almost break tradition, she immediately showed his weakness. He has been on the defensive ever since. The fact that Mother has not brought anyone outside the family with her to this dinner shows that she is stronger than he is and more knowledgeable and establishes her superiority. The weaker their leadership is, the better the deal we will negotiate. This means that you have to either appear strong in everything you say or defer to me." They left in the direction the others had gone.


	24. Fortuneate Battle

**CH24: Fortune-ate Battle**

* * *

She couldn't believe what was happening. It had all happened so fast. She had thought that everything had been going well. Dinner went off without a hitch. After dessert, both groups had signed an agreement. That's when it happened. The Shiza representatives pulled out something that Yelan had not foreseen.

"Perfect! Once this merger is complete, we will finally own the Li coprporation," Rusaki said, grinning eerily.

"That's impossible," Yelan said coolly.

"Is it?" Rusaki asked. "We currently own one hundred percent of Shiza Corp stock. Over the past ten years, we have acquired every piece of Li stock that was not owned by your family. We currently only have thirty-five percent of Li Corporation's stocks, but when the merger is complete, combined with our Shiza Corp stock, we will own a fifty-one percent share in Li corp."

Yelan picked up the nearest phone and dialled an internal line. "Locate all non-family stock options!" Yelan whispered into the phone. When she heard the answer, she paled. "It cannot be possible! Check with the futures division. Why didn't they predict this?"

"Your seers are no match for ours," Rusaki said calmly. "We have only been letting them see what we wanted them to see. You must strike your opponent where he is the weak, but believes he is strong." The smile on his face was creeping Sakura out. She subconsciously crept closer to Li. "Yours is not the only family with a mystical heritage. As you have no doubt realized, like you we use that heritage to our advantage, the difference being that we have been planning this since before you had even heard of Shiza Corp."

"It seems as if you have gained the advantage," Yelan said as she formulated a plan to get revenge. "But we must look to the future. As it is, the control of the company will be contested in the future. You must want to acquire our family's stock holdings."

"Of course; it would be the best protection against your family turning this ploy back upon us. We will offer you one and one half times the stock's value for the option of purchasing your stock at any point when profits allow."

"I have a better offer for you. I will give you the chance to take ownership of our stocks holdings at no charge." Yelan baited.

"There is nothing free in life. You should know this."

"Not a free offer, so much as a wager," Yelan proposed. "Your heir will challenge mine in a duel. All stock ownership on both sides shall be passed to the winner."

"Agreed!" He responded immediately.

"Very well, prepare yourselves. Xiao Lang shall battle Numaru until one is no longer able to fight."

"No!" Rusaki Chen interjected, "You have two heirs now, Numaru will fight her." He pointed towards Sakura. Yelan looked nervous. Sakura's fighting was not up to Li's yet. If Rusaki-kun had been trained as well as her son, Sakura would have little chance of winning.

"Are you sure? I do not believe you are making a wise choice." Yelan asked, hoping that they would change their minds.

"Positive. There are no rules. The two shall fight until one cannot." The evil in his voice was almost tangible. Sakura was not reassured by the villainous laugh that followed.

* * *

"I can't do this," Sakura pleaded.

"You have to," Syaoran replied.

"What if I hurt him?"

"He deserves it."

"What if I am not strong enough?"

"You will be. You can do it. If your skills at battle can't beat him, you can always use magic. Use the Clow Cards, and the ofudas."

"This isn't like fighting a Clow Card though. He is a person. It's dangerous for both of us. You should be the one fighting, not me. You have been training for this all of your life."

"Stop it," Syaoran growled as he led her to the room they usually trained in. "You will not lose. You can't and you won't." He then surprised her by grasping her in a reassuring hug. "I believe in you, I am sure it will be alright."

Something about his words gave her courage. Perhaps it was the way he had incorporated her invincible spell into it. Perhaps it was the fact that he seemed so sure that she had the ability needed to win. Maybe it was something else, but she knew that whatever happened, she could not disappoint him in this task.

"Okay…" They walked down a staircase that was usually hidden by the tatami mats that had covered the floor. Below, there was an arena. It was a circle, one-hundred paces in diameter. It had a soft dirt floor. Surrounding it was a cylinder of pale blue light. Benches on the left and right seated the opposing groups. Sakura stepped into the light and entered the arena.

* * *

Everything around her went black. It was like nothing existed outside of the light. Across from her stood Rusaki Numaru. He wore a short linen garment about his waist and several golden circlets on his limbs that were covered in glyphs. In his right hand, he carried a scary looking scimitar. It was large and looked heavy, but he carried it with ease as if it were a natural extension of his arm. He twirled the sword and embedded it into the ground, causing a flash of lightning to appear briefly between it and the ground.

"I hope you are ready to lose," Numaru said. "This is important to my family, and you must put family first, even if you must go on to the next world to fulfill your duty."

"I am sorry. But I cannot allow you to win. Your family will be disappointed this time. Key that hides the power of darkness; show your true form before me. Under the contract, your mistress commands you to release!" Numaru looked surprised as the staff appeared. He obviously hadn't expected her to have magic.

"My father didn't say you had any power," Numaru said. "So it must be insignificant. I guess that means the parlour tricks you showed at the Talent show were the extent of your skills." He dashed across the arena and was upon her before she could react. He was straddled over her with his blade to her throat.

"You quoted Sun Tzu before, when we were at school, didn't you?" Sakura said.

"Yes, what of it?" Rusaki asked.

"Doesn't he ever tell you not to underestimate your opponent?"

"You are pinned. There is nothing you can do. I think that means I estimated you right."

Sakura's hand grasped her cards, the other quickly moved her staff into a position where it would block the blade. "Jump!" Sakura pushed off the ground with super-human might, bucking Numaru off her while doing a back flip and landing on her feet. Numaru flew into the edge of the light and slammed into it as if it were a solid wall.

"You weren't supposed to be this strong," He said. "I am sorry. You might get hurt, but I have to use my full power to stop you." He pointed his sword towards Sakura. "Ouhte!" Lightning arced from his blade towards her, but she managed to avoid it.

"Two can play it that way!" Sakura yelped as she dodged another blast. "Lightning, give me power!" She struck an ofuda, launching her attack. The shot from her ofuda and was easily absorbed by Numaru's sword, which promptly launched it back at her.

"You won't beat me that way." He brandished his sword above his head, launching more lightning blasts. "This is known as the Sword of Set. It is said that the blade was forged from the head of the spear used by the god Set to create lightning." Sakura yelped as one of the bolts stuck near her foot, causing some of the rubber in her shoe to melt.

"Dash!" She raced up to him and struck the hand holding the sword, causing him to drop it. She tried to kick him, but he caught her leg and pulled her close against him.

"There's something you should know…" He said, and then whispered into her ear. "No one controls the power of Set, except Set himself." Sakura struggled and managed to trip Numaru as the sword passed through where she had been standing of its own will. This landed her in the unfortunate position of being mounted and having her arms pinned. "Just surrender, I don't want to be forced to hurt you.

"There is something you should know," Sakura grunted. "I used to be a cheer leader!" Using her flexibility, she bent her waist and stuck her leg between his arm and leg before sending him flying off her with a powerful kick to his chin. She immediately rolled to the side, but not quick enough, as the Sword of Set embedded itself into the ground. It left a deep gash in her arm as it passed, causing her immense pain as electricity flowed through her. The darkness disappeared and she was once again in the arena chamber.

"Sakura!" Li rushed to her side, "Are you okay?"

"I think so. What happened? Did I lose?"

"He's dead!" A cry came from across the arena.

"Nani?" Sakura was shocked. "I didn't mean to, he can't be dead…"

Rusaki Chen grabbed the Sword of Set, "You killed my son!" The blade sliced through the air, then flew out of his hands as Syaoran's blade appeared in his hand and disarmed the older man easily. Syaoran's blade came to rest at the man's throat.

"I would suggest that you stay away from her, for your own safety." He growled.

"You won't get away with this…" The man hissed icily.

"There is nothing to get away with. You have lost the wager. I expect your stock to be in Sakura's possession by the closing of trading tomorrow," Yelan said. "Now, I would suggest you leave, before there are any more unfortunate accidents."

* * *

"Physically, there is nothing wrong with her, other than that cut on her arm," Ling Hi said. "It seems that she suffered some sort of mental trauma. There is nothing that can be done, except taking care of her until she gets over whatever happened." Yelan thanked the doctor, and he left. Sakura just sat, unmoving, with her eyes glossed over and staring into space.

"Put her to bed." Yelan ordered. Syaoran nodded, and picked up Sakura who hung loosely in his arms.

Syaoran laid her in her bed, placing her under the covers. He kneeled beside the bed and rested his head on the mattress. "Please sleep now. Maybe you will feel better in the morning." She didn't respond. Her head turned to look at him. He thought that maybe she was coming back to her senses, but soon realized that it was just gravity that had caused her head to turn. Her eyes stared at him almost lifelessly. They seemed so dull instead of shining with the child-like exuberance that Syaoran had become used to seeing. He took her hand and held it tightly.

"I know you don't like hurting people, but you couldn't have known that it would happen." He said as he began to fall asleep. He closed his eyes, "Having you like this hurts even more…"


	25. Sleeping Beast

**CH25: Sleeping Beast**

* * *

When Syaoran awoke, Sakura was exactly as he had left her, still staring at him with the dull, lifeless look. She looked much more tired though. Li closed Sakura's eyes. They remained closed. After a few seconds, her breathing pattern changed, becoming deeper and more irregular. She was asleep. At least he thought she was. With her acting like this, it was hard to tell.

Syaoran opened the window to let the cold morning air freshen up the room. He could clearly remember the haunting look of death on Numaru's face as Sakura's foot had collided with it. It hadn't been a particularly hard kick, but it had hit solidly. From what he had heard, the boy's brain had haemorrhaged; possibly in multiple places. There had been no doubt what had caused the damage, and Sakura had taken it badly. It was like she had turned herself off.

Syaoran had hoped that she would come to her senses overnight, but now it was apparent that she would not even sleep on her own. He partially blamed himself for the state she was in. He should have been the one fighting. He was the heir, it was his responsibility to fight, not hers. They had insisted that she fight. They had expected her to be weak, and she was, just not in the way the representatives of Shiza Corporation had wanted. Her skills in the arena had done more damage to her opponent than anyone had expected. Her magic and body were strong… but her emotions had taken her down.

Someone entered the room, Li didn't care to look. "I have brought your breakfast. Your mother has called the school and informed them that you will be taking the day off," The nameless servant said before exiting once again.

"How could she not know?" Syaoran asked, to no one in particular. "Usually she knows almost everything before it happens. Why didn't mother predict this?" He continued staring out the window, running events over and over through his mind. He wondered what, if anything, could have been done to change the outcome.

He heard a rustle in the sheets of the bed. He turned to look, but the only movement he saw what the yellow fur of the stuffed animal eyeing his breakfast hungrily. "Take it. I'm not hungry," Li ordered. Kero happily obliged, though he was less perky than usual. The annoying creature had been taking a nap in Sakura's bed when the events of the previous evening occurred. It had woken him up in the middle of the night because it was worried about Sakura. When Li explained what had happened, Kero had taken it badly. Syaoran had had to restrain Kero for a time, afraid that his attempts to get a reaction Sakura would harm her.

Kero's reaction was calm compared to Touya's when he had seen the state his sister was in. Syaoran could still hear the faint banging of Touya's fists on the door of the room he had been locked in for everyone else's safety.

* * *

When Syaoran thought that she was awake again, he opened her eyes. Though they looked rested, they stared off into space, unfocused and unmoving. He tried everything he could think of to get her to respond, as did Kero, but it was to no avail. This left Li with only one person to turn to. He unlocked the door and it slammed open. Touya looked fierce.

"Where's my sister?" Sakura's brother asked threateningly as he grabbed Syaoran and slammed him against the wall.

"Calm down." Yukito cautioned the enraged man, following him out of the room. He had voluntarily interned himself with Touya, in order to prevent him from causing too much damage to the house. "Killing Li will not get you the information any faster."

"But it will make me feel a lot better."

"Jealous that someone else gets to take care of your sister?"

"No, I just don't want this gaki anywhere near her."

"If you don't put this 'gaki' down, he may decide to change his mind about bringing you to your sister." Syaoran interjected.

"Where is she?" Touya asked, reluctantly releasing Syaoran from his grip.

* * *

"Is the kajyuu sick? Eat too many lawyers last night and give her a stomach ache," Touya joked weakly. To Syaoran's surprise, Touya's taunt actually had an effect, though not the one that it usually did. Sakura rolled over and covered her head with the blankets.

"She moved…" Syaoran whispered.

"You shouldn't hide, how else will people know they should run from the kaijyuu?"

"Shut up and leave me alone," The voice came from under the covers.

"Li, you had better run, the kaijyuu is getting angry."

"I told you to shut the hell up!" Sakura yelled, shocking Touya who had never heard her speak like that before. "I know what I am! I don't need you reminding me! Now leave." She chased them out of her room. She then locked them out and blocked the door with a chair.

* * *

Li smirked. Sure, he had been thrown out of a very angry Sakura's room, but at least she was moving on her own now and he now knew a little more about how she was feeling. Touya, however, was still very upset. No one would tell him what had happened to Sakura to cause this situation. As far as he knew, this was just as bad, if not worse than the condition she had been in before he had interfered.

"I'm going out," Li said.

"Where?" Touya asked suspiciously.

"To get something that will make your sister happy. I might not be back for a long time."

* * *

The wolf sat at the edge of the Li property, as if making a decision. Then, in a moment of decision, began to dig. A few inches down he found a magically glowing yellow thread. With a quick chomp of his powerful jaws, the string snapped and dissolved. The wolf bounded onto the property, straight up to the front door and began to scratch at it. A layer of paint came off of the door, and glowing yellow lines were revealed beneath. With another scratch, this also dissolved into thin air.

The wolf bounded around the side the house and leapt impossibly high up into a tree. Through a window, he could see the girl laying in bed and crying into a pillow. The yellow creature was trying to tempt the girl to cheer up by offering her some of its pudding. The wolf knew it wouldn't work. It would take something she truly cared about to fix this, not some useless sweets.

The wolf leapt silently through the window, landing with a quiet thud. Neither of the occupants of the rooms even noticed his entrance. He emitted a soft whine to alert them to his presence.

"Xiao Lang?" She asked, "What are you doing here?" The wolf approached and licked a salty tear off of her cheek. "You're here to cheer me up…" The wolf nodded. "You shouldn't…"

The wolf turned back towards the window.

"Wait!" Sakura said, "It's not that I don't want you here… I don't deserve it."

The wolf came back and rested his head on her lap and she began to scratch it behind the ears. The look of his bright amber eyes compelled Sakura to continue.

"I did something last night. It was something really bad." The wolf licked her hand reassuringly. "Ever since I got here, I have been trained in martial arts and magic. It's good in a realizing my potential and learning discipline way, but last night I had to use what I learned against someone else.

"It was not against some mystical power or anything, but against a real person. I fought him, and did my best. Even when it looked like I had lost, I continued fighting and didn't give up.

"He gave me the chance to give up, but I didn't take it. I fought back with everything I had… and now he's dead. I wasn't even fighting to protect myself or someone else. It was all for money. I killed someone because of greed.

"I should have known… My brother has called me a kaijyuu ever since I was little. He was always right before. Everyone tells me that I am going to be all right. What does that mean? Someone is dead because of me. Who knows who I will hurt next? They say that everything is okay, but with the way things are going more people are going to die, if not by my own hand then by some decision I make.

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't like me anymore. You just look like a kaijyuu, I really am one."

The wolf didn't make a move to leave. Instead, he jumped up on to the bed and allowed her to move from scratching behind his ears to rubbing his belly. As a wolf, there weren't any words he could say to make her feel better, in fact he couldn't say anything at all. At least he could show her that he wasn't afraid of her, that he trusted her. Even if he had spoken, he doubted anything he could have said would do anything but make things worse. At least now she had talked about it with him. He knew how she felt about it and she had let everything out. It was a big step towards bringing back the cheerful girl he had come to know.

Suddenly, his leg began to twitch. It shook uncontrollably as Sakura scratched his ribs just behind his elbow. She began to scratch faster, and his leg accelerated to match. It felt strangely good where she was scratching, but it also felt as if as if his leg was going to fly right off if it lasted too long. Then he saw a faint smile creep onto Sakura's lips and decided that if losing a leg would make her return to the way she was before, he was willing to make that sacrifice. Luckily for him, it didn't come to that. She soon grew tired and fell asleep with her arms wrapped around his big furry neck. It was a nice feeling, and a comfortable position that soon put him to sleep as well.

* * *

He awoke in incredible pain. The first rays of light illuminated his body, causing him to revert to his normal shape. He clamped his jaw shut and attempted to avoid screaming with the pain as organs shifted and bones changed shape. He was afraid that the bone-popping and flesh-squishing sounds would awaken the girl next to him. She didn't stir. She was still fast asleep. The stuffed animal was snoring loudly in a stack of pillows. He risked a few moments to grab a pencil and a sheet of paper from her desk to scribble a note for her. He then jumped out the window thinking 'I hope I find some pants before someone sees me.'

* * *

Sakura picked up the note, which she had found on her desk. She had awakened to see the boy jump out of her window but did not recognize him because her vision was still blurred by sleep.

"_Sakura,_

_It was an accident, you shouldn't blame yourself. You care so much about others, that mistakes like this do not make you a kaijyuu. You will learn from this and become a stronger person who can see the dangers and avoid them and use your abilities to protect people._

_You may not think it now, but you are the opposite of a kaijyuu. That is why people like me, and your brother, and your friends will always be there for you, even when you think you don't want, or deserve our help. There is no one who deserves it more than you._

_-your Xiao Lang_"


	26. Dual Duel

**CH26: Dual Duel**

* * *

"Sakura, how are you doing?" Yukito asked as she made an appearance for breakfast.

She shrugged in response. Sakura picked up a plate and began to serve herself.

"She's fine. It takes an awful lot to take down a ferocious kaijyuu like her," Touya said. Sakura's return from where the food was laid out to her usual seat at the table conveniently took her by Touya. She made as if to stomp on his foot, but hesitated at the last second and continued walking.

"Don't worry, foot injuries aren't fatal, besides, he deserves it," Li whispered, before shoving a wedge of fruit into his mouth. Sakura glared at him.

"Will you be attending school today?" Yelan asked Sakura. Sakura shrugged apathetically. "Very well, Wei will give you a ride to school. I will call and inform them that you and Li shall be attending today."

* * *

"Sakura!" Tomoyo met her almost immediately. "How are you feeling? I was worried when you didn't come to school yesterday. I tried to call you, but they said you weren't talking to anyone."

"I don't want to talk about it," Sakura snapped. "… I'm sorry," she mumbled afterwards.

"Sakura… If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. But remember, no matter what it is, I am you friend and I want to help."

"There's nothing you can do." Sakura replied.

"What happened? Your fiancée dump you?" A sneering voice asked. "I heard all about mister perfect, the hottest guy in the school. It seems like you two are the only people that anyone talks about."

"It's not that," Sakura responded. She wondered who this annoying person was.

"Just ignore him," Tomoyo said. "He enrolled yesterday, and has been nothing but a pain to everyone. He enjoys other people's misery."

"Or, maybe you just aren't good enough for him and he's getting a little extra on the si…" The punch was so quick, that the boy was half-way across the room before anyone had noticed Syaoran had arrived.

"Maybe if you want to question my conduct, you should do it to my face, instead of bothering Sakura," Li growled. The boy stood up. He was a full head taller than Li, and looked like a body builder.

"Maybe you should pick your fights more wisely. Maybe you should find out who you are dealing with before you start a fight."

"You are right. I would have never attacked you if I knew. I try to avoid fighting weaklings like you," Syaoran responded. This time the other guy swung, but was too slow. Syaoran dodged the blow effortlessly, and countered with a leg sweep, knocking the boy over once again.

The bell rang. "No one makes a fool of Rukadin Umarut. We'll finish this after school, in the park. Bring your girlfriend; then she can see how much of a loser you really are."

* * *

"Onii-chan?" Sakura exclaimed, as they arrived in the park. He was standing behind a stainless steel cart where some hot dogs were grilling. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a part-time job." He shrugged and tossed a hotdog to her.

"Arigatou!" She smiled took a big bite.

"How nice, a boy, his sister, and a soon to be dead fiancée," Umarut remarked.

"I was sure you were going to chicken out," Syaoran said. "Especially after that beating I gave you earlier."

"Is that what that was? I thought a beating was what I was about to give you."

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried as Umarut's fist made a connection with Li's face.

"You went easy on me in class," Syaoran said. "Show me what you've really got." He rubbed a trickle of blood from his lip. Umarut struck again. Syaoran fell to the ground. Umarut mounted him in an instant and struck him hard once again.

"Leave him alone!" Sakura grabbed his arm, restraining his next punch. He used his other had to strike at Sakura, but instead received a knee to the gut from Touya who decided to intervene.

"No one touches my sister," He said.

"Really?" Umarut grinned. "If you feel that strongly, you can kill her yourself."

"What makes you think that I'll be hurting anyone but you?"

"This!" Umarut threw an item at Touya and he snatched it out of the air.

"What is this?" Touya held a small silver sword pin. "Buying me off with jewellery is not going to get you anywhere."

"It isn't a bribe," The pin pulsed then extended into a full sized sword. Touya's eyes became unfocused and he took a battle stance, pointing the sword towards Sakura.

"Touya…" Sakura said, fearing that Umarut may have been right about what he had said. Touya raised the sword above his head.

"You can do it Sakura. Fight him, fight your own brother and die."

"No!" Sakura screamed, covering her head and diving away from her brother. She barely avoided the blade and fell to the ground. She was winded by the impact. Touya stepped towards her. The blade flew through the air and stopped millimetres from her skin. Another blade had stopped it; Syaoran's blade. His face was bruised and bleeding, but he was standing.

"Is that all?" Syaoran asked. "I thought the Sword Card would have more skill."

"You again? I had forgotten about you. You might have escaped with your life, if you had not interfered again." Umarut sneered as he advanced towards Syaoran who was blocking a flurry of strikes from Touya and the sword card.

"Wind! Come to my aid!" Syaoran aimed downward, propelling himself up and sending out a shockwave towards his two attackers.

"Don't hurt Touya!" Sakura cried. Umarut was knocked backwards, but Touya sliced through the wall of air and it dissipated.

"I can do that too," Umarut taunted. "I call on Amun!" He raised his hand and wind blasted from it. Syaoran tried to defend himself, but it gave Touya an opening and he made a deep cut into the muscle of Syaoran's forearm. This caused Syaoran to drop his sword and succumb to Umarut's wind. He flew back and hit the ground, rolling to a stop beside Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Li whispered as his face grew pale as the blood seeped from his arm. "I couldn't protect you."

"You have to get back up, I can't fight him."

"I'm sorry… I believe in you…" Li's eyes closed.

"Syaoran…" His eyes were closed. He was unconscious.

"How touching. A girl and her lover dying together."

"No…" Sakura sobbed, "No one is going to die. I'll find a way to protect everyone." With Touya advancing on her, she was forced to leave Syaoran on his own for his safety.

"Key that hides the power of darkness, your mistress commands you under the contract to reveal your true form. Release!" She used the wand to deflect a blow from the sword. "Wood, bind him." The grass began to grow at an accelerated rate, wrapping around Touya's legs. He easily cut through it with the sword and continued advancing.

"There is nothing you can do Sakura," Umarut taunted. "You refuse to hurt him, and he will cut through any bind you place on him."

"I will stop him, and you," Sakura retorted. "And he won't have a scratch on him."

"You don't have the power to stop either of us, or at least none that you are willing to use."

"Sleep!" Touya fell face forward to the ground, releasing the sword. As soon as it left Touya's grasp, the sword shrunk back into its pin form.

"Bastet, keep me from harm." Before the sleep could put Umarut to sleep, a shield was erected to protect him.

"Lightning!" A bolt arced from one of Sakura's ofudas and struck the shield. Not only did the shield block the attack, but it sent a beam of light as a counter attack. She dodged the beam of light. Umarut made no move to attack her, but she had no way to get to him. 'He probably can't attack and maintain the shield at the same time.' Sakura thought, 'and my magic can't penetrate his barrier.'

Sakura desperately tried to think of a method to break through Umarut's seemingly perfect defence. A glint of silver in the grass caught her eye. 'Maybe that will work…' she thought. "Sword Card!" Sakura struck it with her staff. "Return to the form you were meant to have and lend me your power!" Her staff transformed into the same sword that Touya had been holding earlier.

"Nothing can touch me while I'm under Bastet's protection."

"I am willing to bet that this is no ordinary sword, and it can get through your barrier. Are you willing to bet against it?"

"I guess we'll find out next time," Umarut said. Sakura struck at him with all her might, but the sword passed right through both the barrier and his body as if they weren't there,

"That's not you…" Sakura gasped, "This was all a trick!"

"Think what you want for now, because it doesn't matter. Soon you will pay for what you have done to me." He faded out of existence in a swirl of darkness.

Sakura glanced around to see if it was safe. She didn't see him anywhere, nor could she sense him. Now that she had thought about it, she hadn't sensed him when he was there. She could sense Touya and Syaoran easily. She could sense a faint trace of Yukito somewhere on the other side of the park. She could even sense some strange power coming from somewhere in the city, but there was no trace that anyone else had been there.

Sakura raced over to Syaoran. There was a large pool of blood around his arm, but the flow was slowing. Sakura took the scarf of her school uniform and used it to bind his wound. She searched through Syaoran's bag and found his cellphone, which he rarely used, and pushed the speed-dial button marked home.

"Moshi-moshi Syaoran!"

"Fanren?" Sakura asked desperately "Li's hurt. We're at the park."

"I'll send Wei and have Okaa-san call the doctor."

"Arigatou…"


	27. The Confession

**Ch27: The Confession**

* * *

_"Wo ai ni, Xing Fa!"_

_"I love you too," The girl said as she was throwing herself on the hospital patient._

"How can you watch this show?" Sakura asked.

"It's not that bad," Syaoran said. "Besides this hospital doesn't have cable. It's either this or a repeat of the news."

"But it is so unrealistic. She just caught him with that nurse. There is no way that she would just forgive him that fast," Sakura remarked. "If a guy is going to tell a girl he loves her, he should not be dating another girl at the same time."

"But it wasn't his fault, that nurse threw herself at him," Meiling argued.

"He didn't fight back though. If he really loved Xing Fa, he would have pushed her away immediately."

"Xing Fa knows he loves only her, she did the right thing and forgave his slow reflexes. Besides, He's paralyzed from the neck down, what do you expect him to do?" Syaoran asked.

"He's paralyzed?"

"And just how did you know something like that? They didn't say anything about paralysis."

"Fanren watches this show every single day," Syaoran replied in an embarrassed tone. "I occasionally catch a phrase or two of it."

"Who cares about television anyway? I'd much rather be training," Meiling said.

"Is that with or without Syaoran?" Sakura asked.

"With of course, no one else is good enough to give me a real workout."

"Whatever, I'm going to the bathroom," Syaoran said as he awkwardly got up from the bed while trying to avoid using his newly stitched arm.

* * *

Li sat on the toilet. Placed in a nearby rack were some magazines and a newspaper. On the front page was the headline 'Shiza Sellout to Li Fiancée'. It was the formal announcement of the results of the bet made on Sakura the previous night, though the paper did not know about that. In fact, it speculated blackmail on the part of Li Corp as well as speculation on the possibility of other dirty dealings.

"Mother," He spoke into his cell phone. It automatically dialled for him.

"How are your injuries?" His mother's voice answered almost immediately after the first ring.

"They will be fine. Have you seen today's paper?"

"You have seen the article on Sakura then."

"Something should be done. If these allegations continue, there may be problems when Sakura takes control of Shiza Corp."

"We have already settled it. When threatened with a lawsuit, they promised to print a retraction tomorrow, along with a separate piece detailing large debts incurred by Rusaki-san's gambling problem."

"Since when did he have a gambling problem?"

"Since eight o'clock this morning. A paper trail has been created showing him to be in debt, not only to some private gambling institutions, but also a substantial debt to an institution owned by Li Corp and a few of the smaller family business. The official story is that he was there last night and lost a one billion dollar bet, and that giving Sakura the company is their way of covering the bet."

"What if he files a libel suit," Syaoran asked.

"Without the company, he does not have the funds to wage a court battle and with rumours of a gambling addiction, his credit will not cover it either."

"Arigatou, okaa-san," He said.

"When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know," Syaoran hung up. After he hung up, he strained and dropped a large log in the toilet, receiving an extraordinarily large amount of backsplash. Then he was splashed again and once more. Syaoran leapt off the toilet as the water splashed over the rim. There ceramic of the toilet was cracked as the toilet shifted from the force of the waves. The water began leaking all over the floor. He leapt onto a bedpan to avoid the water. He balanced precariously as the water sloshed back and forth at a faster and faster pace.

"Sakura!" he yelled. "Help!" He wished he could do something on his own, but he had left his cards, ofudas and his sword in the other room.

"Li, are you all right?!"

"Don't come in!" He still had his pants down around his ankles, and would not be able to pull them up without slipping into the toilet water below.

"There's water coming under the door and I sense a Clow Card. Are you alright?"

"Just slide my ofudas through the crack between the door and the frame, just not at the bottom."

"They won't fit." She replied. Syaoran let out a cry of pain as he was forced to steady himself against the wall with his injured arm and several of the stitches popped. "That's it, I'm coming in." Sakura unlocked the door with the sealing key and swung it open, knocking Syaoran to the ground. The water flowed into the room at a faster pace. Sakura leapt back to avoid it. Syaoran, now being covered in the toilet water, had no reason to avoid it; enabling him the mobility to quickly pull his lower garments up his legs before Sakura saw anything embarrassing.

"Sakura, capture it!" More water was still leaking from the toilet. Meiling and Sakura stood on the bed and watched the waves get bigger.

"How? It is water. I don't have anything to contain it."

"Well, it's not The Watery… or else we would be in big trouble by now. It might be The Wave." Syaoran waded through the knee-high water towards them and the drawer that contained his cards. A large wave easily overpowered him, submerging him in the water.

"Syaoran!" The waves were crashing down on him, keeping him under. Sakura lay down on the bed, which lifted slightly with every swell of the water. She plunged her hand in and grabbed his collar. "I can only think of one way to stop this, and if he's down there, he will be hurt, or killed." At this, Meiling plunged her own arm into the water and grabbed Syaoran's good hand. Together they pulled him up onto the bed where he lay, gasping for breath. Sakura went for Syaoran's stack of cards in the drawer of the table beside the bed. "Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me. Your mistress Sakura commands you, release! Freeze Card!" The waves froze solidly in place. "Return to your true form, Wave!" The ice crumbled and dissipated as the Wave Card materialized in front of Sakura.

"Syaoran," Meiling asked sweetly, "Has there ever been a hospital where you did not wreck the first room you stayed in?" Syaoran scowled, both at Meiling's joke and the fact that he would need new stitches.

* * *

"Xiao Lang Li! You put that sword down immediately!" Yelan chided her son.

"But…"

"Do you want to be crippled? Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the elders to choose you as the successor instead of your cousin? If you crippled yourself by not giving your wound time to heal, they may reconsider."

"Hai, Okaa-san." Syaoran relented. He put his sword away. Two days had passed and the pain had pretty much disappeared, yet as long as he had those twenty-two stitches in his arm, neither his mother nor the elders would allow him to train. Instead of his normal training, all his work was mental. He had done more theoretical exercises than his brain could handle. He just wanted a good sparring match to let his mind and body work out all the kinks in both.

He travelled past the living room where Fanren was watching her favourite soap opera.

"You told me you loved me!" Xing Fa cried.

"I do, You are the most important person to me," The man replied.

"Than why were you with her again."

"Syaoran!" Meiling appeared. "Wow, she really does watch this show."

"Meiling." Syaoran suddenly remembered what had happened the first time Sakura and Meiling had met.

_"Umm, excuse me…who are you?"_

_"Li Meiling. I'm Syaoran's fiancée!"_

More recent memories came, very recent.

_"If a guy is going to tell a girl he loves her, he should not be dating another girl at the same time."_

Meiling latched on to his arm, hanging off him as she usually did.

_"I hate you! I never want to see you again!" Xing Fa cried. The man begged her to come back but she ran out. The nurse then came in._

_"I'll make you feel all better." She smiled._

_"Leave me alone! You were never the one I loved!"_

_"It's too late for that now, isn't it. I am all you have left!"_

_"Get out!" The man yelled._

"Meiling…"

"Hmm?" She asked. The TV suddenly stopped making sound.

"Meiling, I…" Li found himself out under the sakura trees. "How did I get here?" after half a moment of thought, he came to the only logical conclusion. "It's a Clow Card."

"Where?" The voice startled him.

"Sakura! What are out doing out here.?"

"I was taking a walk in the garden. Your sister was watching that stupid T.V show again."

"You get used to it," Syaoran said. "It's not such a bad show once you give it a chance."

"That's the problem!" Sakura responded. "Now that I know about it, every time I walk by a TV with that show on, I've got to stop and listen. Anyway, you were saying something about a Clow Card?"

"Something teleported me out of the house when I was trying to talk to Meiling."

"What do you think it was?"

"Maybe The Silent, but if that was true, why did it not quiet the television."

"Maybe it likes the show." Meiling postulated, surprising both Sakura and Syaoran.

"It's a Clow Card, Meiling, not a person."

"What difference does that make?" Sakura asked. "Clow Cards can like things too."

"They don't feel like we do," He replied. "They are just magical forces."

"Kero is a magical force, and there is no way you can say he doesn't like pudding. He probably likes it more than people do."

"He's different though, he was made as a magical creature."

"How's that different from the cards? The way I see it, they are creatures just as much as Kero is. They just have another form."

"They just look like creatures; they only have minds enough to follow orders."

"Then what was the Mirror Card doing when it attacked me. It said that you would be a better master because you are of Clow's bloodline."

"I said they didn't feel. I didn't say they weren't smart."

"Yes you did. You can't have it both ways. Either they are creatures or they are forces."

"Whatever. That doesn't matter now." Syaoran relented. "We've got to capture that Clow Card."

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Meiling asked.

"Nothing…" He replied.

* * *

Meiling sighed. She knew exactly what Syaoran wanted to talk about. She had known him too long to not know what he was thinking. Despite their arguments, it was obvious that Syaoran had grown to like Sakura. He liked her a lot. The stupid show had clued him in to the fact that he was technically two-timing Sakura, even if he had never really returned the feelings Meiling had for him. The situation in the show had too closely mirrored their own lives. The woman was even named the Chinese version of Sakura's name.

"We are almost there," Syaoran whispered "Be absolutely quie…" He was cut off as they were transported back to the grove of sakura trees.

"That's annoying."

"It reminds me of what happened with the Time Card," Syaoran said.

"At least this card is not hundreds of stories up," Sakura replied.

"How are we going to catch it if we can't get near it?"

"You could use a distraction. Make it teleport someone else away while Sakura seals it," Meiling suggested.

* * *

"Hey, card!" Meiling yelled, approaching the living room. There was no response.

"Where is it?" Sakura asked, as she and Syaoran appeared from the other end of the hall.

"I don't know." Meiling replied.

"We now return to 'Cherry Blossom's Kiss'" An announcer on the television said.

"That's wh…"

"Shh." The silent card appeared and shushed them. They were back outside again.

"That's why it wasn't doing anything. It's acting like an usher in a theatre, keeping people from disturbing the show."

* * *

This time they managed to get near the card. "Return to" Sakura began, but once again, they were outside. "How can I capture the card, if I can't say the spell?" Sakura complained.

"I guess you need to do it so The Silent can't hear the spell." Meiling suggested.

"No matter how quiet we are, we can't be quiet enough."

"I have an idea." Syaoran said, "Sound is a type of wave right…"

"Hai." The girls agreed.

"And waves can be cancelled out by the inverse wave. Sakura, maybe you can use the Wave Card to counter the sound waves so that we don't make any noise."

"It's worth a try." Sakura replied, "Wave Card, cancel out all the sound waves we create!"

"…" Syaoran tried to speak, but they heard nothing. Sakura smiled, and Meiling gave a thumbs up and pointed towards the house. Even their footsteps as they walked didn't make a sound on the grass, or even the wood floors. They arrived at the living room and the Silent Card stood there, watching the television and ignoring them.

'Silent, return to the form you are meant to have.' Sakura chanted silently. She struck The Silent and it disappeared. "We did it!" Sakura said happily after returning the Wave Card.

_"If you didn't want to be with me, you should have told me." The nurse on the television said. "It hurts, but it hurts even more that you led me on for so long."_

_"I'm sorry," the man replied, "but I stand by my decision, I will never see you again. It's the only way I can be with my beloved Xing Fa."_

_"She's a fool, to have given you another chance," the nurse spat. "You will pay for betraying me!"_

"How can you watch that?" Sakura asked again.

"I dunno. I guess you get used to the bad acting, plot, script, etc…" Syaoran replied.

* * *

Two sharp knocks rattled the door to Meiling's room.

"Come in," She called. She was steeling herself for what she knew was coming. She sat in a large comfy chair and held a stuffed bear that Syaoran had won for her at a carnival many years ago. It was one of her favourite possessions. Li entered the room, looking very nervous.

"Meiling… I…"

"Found someone that you like more than me." Meiling finished for him.

"How did you know?"

"It's obvious. Sakura is the only person you smile for," Meiling said. "I hope she figures out how she feels for you as well."

"You're not mad?" Syaoran asked.

"No… I am upset. I had always hoped that our agreement would last and I would become your wife," She said. "But it didn't. You have found someone who you love, and are even engaged to her. I knew this day would come eventually."

"I'm sorry," He said.

"No you aren't, you just want to make me feel better. Don't even try. I know it's over and you don't regret that at all. Please leave now. I need to be alone."

Syaoran left the room and closed the door. He could hear Meiling crying on the other side. He had the urge to comfort her, she was his closest friend after all, but this was one thing that he couldn't fix, she had to work it out on her own.


	28. Cardcaptor Meiling

**CH28: Cardcaptor Meiling**

* * *

Meiling wasn't her usual chipper self the next morning. She seemed so different. In the morning lessons, she did not greet Li with the enthusiasm that Sakura was accustomed to seeing. She did not even sit beside him, instead opting to place Sakura between them. Meiling's nervousness and fidgeting almost made her miss the lecture that Li Xiao Fang was giving them. Sakura even wondered why Meiling came to the magic lessons at all when she had no magical talent whatsoever.

"Some believe that magic lives in everything, that it is a power like magnetism or gravity that can be understood and manipulated. Others claim it is of the soul of all living things. In either case, all scholars of magic know that magic is energy. You may have heard in your physics classes that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed into other forms of energy. This is true for magic as well.

"All magic is derived through a power source, whether it is the sun, or the moon, or some ancient spirit, or even your own body. Some of these sources, such as the sun, contain enough energy to destroy the entire planet, while others, such as your own body, contain very little energy in comparison, and can quickly be drained.

"This need for a power source is very important, because if not used properly it can have severe consequences. If you use your own energy, as you must do to begin any energy transfer, to power an entire spell, you often find yourself drained and tired. This is an important aspect of magic because it tells you where your limits lie. If you go beyond these limits you can end up spending your life to power the spell. This means that it is important to have a power source for a spell. This does not mean bigger is better. In fact, large power sources can be just as dangerous as small ones. In order to use the energy, you must channel it through your own body. If you are channelling too much energy, you may burn up from the inside out. Those who do not know of magic have called this event spontaneous human combustion.

"This is one of the reasons that we channel magic through another object. It does not completely alleviate the strain on our bodies, but it reduces it significantly. It also provides an anchor for spells so that, should your power source run dry, you can release the object you channel the magic through in order to break contact with the flow of energy."

* * *

Meiling left at the end of the lesson, just as she had entered. Sakura, worried about her friend, pulled her aside in order to talk with her. "What's going on Meiling? You haven't been acting yourself. Did you have a fight with Syaoran?"

"No. Everything is fine."

"You wouldn't be acting like this if nothing happened."

"It's just, our agreement is over. We're not engaged anymore, so I have no right."

"He broke up with you?" Sakura asked surprised.

"I knew it was coming, but it didn't prepare me at all." Meiling began to cry. "We've been engaged for years. I never really thought it would happen. I knew it would, but I wouldn't accept it."

"How could he do that to you?"

"It's not fair to you," Meiling replied. "You two are engaged now, and there is nothing I can do. He did the right thing."

"He doesn't even like me," Sakura said. "He just tolerates me because I hold the sealing wand."

"Maybe he did once, but not anymore."

"It isn't possible. He is just doing his duty. You know how he is."

"Yes I do. He loves you… You are the only one who makes him smile," Meiling said, and then left before Sakura could reply.

* * *

Meiling skipped breakfast and began walking to school on her own. It infuriated her that Sakura couldn't see the truth. She let out her frustration on a nearby lamppost. It hurt a lot, but it was worth it. Knocking a chunk out of that lamppost felt good. The chunk fell to the ground and landed in some mud in the gutters. Meiling looked proudly at the spot where the piece of concrete had fallen. Sticking out from under it were the familiar red and gold colours of a Clow Card. She picked it up and wiped the mud off it.

The front of the card showed the picture of a flaming girl and had the words 'The Fiery' written boldly across the top. Meiling quickly grabbed a pen from her schoolbag and wrote in the space provided, 'Li Meiling'. Meiling ran off to find a deserted location to practice using her Clow Card. She had no magical talent, but Clow Cards did not depend on that, she only needed to release the magic contained in the cards. She had plenty of magical artefacts. One of them had to be able to help her.

* * *

Sakura sat down to eat breakfast.

"Sakura!" Kero flew excitedly into the room. Sparks flew from his body, leaving a beautiful trail behind him. "Look!"

"What happened to you?"

"It's the Fiery Card. It's been sealed," He replied. "I have some of my power back."

"You sealed The Fiery?" Li asked, taking his place at the table with his own breakfast.

"It wasn't me," Sakura replied. "That means, someone else is capturing the cards!"

"This could be very bad. If someone else gains control of the Clow Cards…Clow had many enemies who would do terrible things if they gained all the Clow Cards. My family has many enemies as well."

"How are we going to find them? There is nothing we can do unless… I sense another Clow Card."

"We'll just have to hope that we run into them trying to capture a Clow Card at the same time."

"No, I mean, I sense a Clow Card."

* * *

Meiling stood in an old quarry. She had, wrapped in her fist a pendant she had gotten from her mother which was in the shape of the yin and yang. She concentrated on the medallion. "Fiery, make me strike with all your fury!" She punched at a boulder which was in front of her. Flames wreathed around her fist. When her fist came into contact with the boulder, it shattered, sending molten and charred chunks of rock flying.

"I did it!" Meiling yelled triumphantly, before screaming, "Hot!" and dousing her hand in a nearby pool of water.

As she kneeled by the pool allowing her hand to cool, she sensed movement behind her and raised her arm to block a powerful strike that would have flattened her. Her attacker was a girl with long white hair and had a bluish tint to her skin that matched her darker blue clothes. It was almost like an inverted version of Meiling herself.

"You're a Clow Card," Meiling guessed, and was answered with a roundhouse kick towards her head. "Is that a challenge?" Meiling asked. "If I win, you'll return to your card form." The card nodded in acceptance of the terms and jabbed at Meiling who rolled out of the way and leapt to her feet.

* * *

"Sakura!" Tomoyo was waiting for Sakura in her customary spot where their paths to school converged. "You aren't late, there's no need to rush."

"It isn't about being late…" Sakura said, as Tomoyo ran to keep up.

"It's a Clow Card," Li finished for her.

"Wait!" Tomoyo insisted. "This way." She grabbed Sakura and headed to her own house."

* * *

Meiling grunted as one of the card's blows landed on her shoulder, knocking her back. Luckily, she managed to maintain her composure and rhythm by doing a handspring backwards while kicking the card explosively in the chin.

* * *

"Here," Tomoyo said, shoving an outfit into Sakura's arms. Sakura rushed to put it on. She didn't have time to argue, and she knew she would lose anyway. Tomoyo always got her way when it came to Sakura's clothes. If she didn't get to that card, the unknown card captor might and who knew what that person's agenda might be.

* * *

Meiling had taken a few hits, but none of them had been too bad, but it had slowed her down a bit. The card, having taken fewer, but more devastating hits thanks to The Fiery's influence, was still going strong. She threw a powerful right hook that was blocked and continued by using the momentum gained from the punch to duck under the card's counter attack and raise her leg to give the card a flaming kick to the back of the head. It slammed into the ground face first, sending gravel flying. The card flickered for a moment, then transformed into its card form.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit her. That had been the most difficult fight of her life. To her, it only seemed like it had lasted a minute or two, but her watch told her that she must have been fighting the card for at least twenty minutes. If she didn't hurry, she would be late for school. She raced towards the school, and then hid behind a tree when she heard familiar voices coming.

"It was this way," Sakura shouted. "I don't sense it anymore, but maybe we can catch whoever it is that has been capturing the cards."

Three figures ran past her hiding spot. She didn't know why she was hiding. She wasn't an enemy, they were her friends. They would probably even let her keep the cards. She didn't really even want the cards; it was just that they were meant for Sakura… Just as Syaoran was meant for her – even if she couldn't have him.

* * *

Sakura stood at the top of the cliff overlooking the quarry. The signs of the battle were all over. Freshly smashed rocks, many of them burned and melted, told the story. It had been quite the battle, and one of the participants was definitely the holder of the Fiery Card.

"We're too late," She sighed.

"It will be okay, we will find them," Li said, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, "And if they try anything, I'll make sure they regret it."

Sakura stiffened at his touch and words, thinking for the first time, 'What if Meiling was right?'


	29. Change Of Heart And Mind And Body

**CH29: Change of heart and mind… and body**

* * *

"Meiling!" Sakura ran up to her just before she entered the school gates. Meiling nervously turned and plastered a fake smile onto her face.

"What's up, Sakura?" She asked.

"I need to talk to you… alone." Meiling bristled. She wondered if Sakura knew. She followed as Sakura led her to a deserted section of the schoolyard.

"Meiling… are you…" She paused in the middle of the question.

Meiling laughed nervously in the seemingly long pause.

"It's about Syaoran…" Sakura looked her in the eye and asked, "What happened to your face?"

"I... I…" Meiling stuttered nervously, before blurting out, "I was training in the words this morning and didn't duck low enough to avoid a branch." Meiling's breathing was quick and uneven, and she was beginning to sweat, looking for a way out of this line of questioning.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, looking a large bruise on Meiling's jaw.

"I'm fine!" Meiling said with bravado, "Now you were saying something about Syaoran?"

"This morning…" She started to say, but was interrupted when a large blue lizard fell out of the tree, knocking both of them to the ground.

Meiling sat up slightly dazed. "What was that?" she asked, rubbing her head.

"I don't know, I didn't even notice it until it landed on us," the other girl replied.

"What are you doing in my body?!" Meiling screamed as she noticed the vessel Sakura now inhabited.

"You're in my body too…" Sakura stated, "We must have been switched somehow."

"That thing was a Clow Card." Meiling said. She turned, facing in the direction the card had gone, "I can sense its power."

"We've got to catch it and make it change us back."

"Well, we definitely can't go to school like this; you would totally ruin my reputation."

"Can you figure out where it is?"

"I can't sense it anymore. Maybe if we go in the same direction it did, I will be able to pick up its trail again."

Meiling and Sakura raced in the direction the creature had gone. As luck would have it, they walked directly into Li and Yamazaki. In an attempt to keep their Identity switch secret, Sakura latched onto Li's arm. "Syaoran!" she exclaimed.

"Could you please come with us?" Sakura asked sweetly. "We need to speak with you." Syaoran nodded abruptly and dragged the girls quickly away from the crowds in the same direction they had been headed.

Turning to face Meiling's body, he asked seriously, "What happened, Sakura?"

"Hoe?" She exclaimed, amazed that Syaoran had figured it out so quickly.

"Meiling holds a grudge a lot longer than that," He explained. "There is no way you could have been her. Also the way you grabbed me was different. She tends to be clingy and possessive, while your grab is gentler and more submissive."

"Was I really that obvious?"

"Well, Meiling looked like she wanted to kill you when you did it, and I have never seen you get jealous over me before," he said. 'Not that it would be a bad thing,' He added silently. "I am guessing you ran into the Change Card."

"The Change Card? Is it like a blue lizard?"

"I am not sure. There wasn't a picture. All I know is that the change card is more like an Ex-Change Card. It can switch the places of any two things, including the minds of people, provided they are close enough together."

"We lost track of the card. Can you sense it Li?" Sakura asked. She suddenly became aware that she was still hanging off of his arm and pushed herself away.

"We can't go to school like this!" Meiling grumbled.

"I don't sense anything right now." Li replied, "If I had the laizen board then I could find it easily, but that is back home and we don't have time to retrieve it." As he said that, the warning bell rang forcing the three of them to head to the school and their classes.

* * *

For the most part, when they were together, things went fairy smoothly, but when they were apart, they sometimes forgot whose body they were in. Several of Sakura's friends found her to be extremely snippy and irritable, and several boys found that their gentle flirting got their heads bitten off. Meiling's friends, however did not seem to mind much that she seemed to be acting a lot kinder and more docile.

Meiling came out of the school at the end of the day, scowling with irritation. Nearly everything had been getting on her nerves. She wondered how Sakura could remain so full of child-like enthusiasm if she had to put up with the constant attention she received. Sakura, however, came out of the day completely frustrated for another reason. The classes Meiling had taken were much harder than the ones she had. She had barely understood any of the concepts introduced, and she only hoped that Meiling would be able to make more sense of the hastily scribbled notes than she could.

Meiling, Sakura, and Li all met at their lockers and headed straight home after school, and as if by magic Tomoyo had appeared with outfits for all three of them to wear. She told them that she had called her bodyguard and had the clothes delivered at lunch because she had noticed the girls' strange behaviour and had assumed correctly that it was because of a Clow Card.

"I am not wearing that," Li growled, without even a second look at the outfit Tomoyo had created for him.

"And I am not letting my body be seen in that!" Meiling screeched at Tomoyo. The three outfits were almost identical in their use of pale pinks accented with greens, or the inverse in the case of the outfit created for Syaoran.

"Just try them on." Tomoyo begged. Sakura was already wearing hers, though she didn't particularly like how it looked on Meiling's body, she was sure it would look excellent on her own. After all, her favourite color was pink and the green would match her eyes. While the outfit did look decent on Meiling's body, it did not work as well on her because Meiling usually wore red, and white, and the soft tones did not match her burning red eyes that stared back at Sakura in the mirror. With a little convincing, the others were soon dressed. If not for the fact that their outfits matched and that they had an odd colour scheme, they would have looked almost normal walking through the park in the clothes they were wearing. That is exactly what they ended up doing.

* * *

"There it is!" Sakura pointed out. It was lying at the top of the slide, asleep in the warmth of the sun. "Key that holds the…"

"Stop!" Syaoran chastised, "We can't capture it like this, look how many people are around here."

"I guess we should put them to sleep first." Sakura said, looking around at all the people: the teens making out by the forest, the children in the playground, the parents watching over them, the elderly playing chess and sitting on park benches. "Cover me." She said, using Meiling and Syaoran's bodies to hide her activities. "Key that hides the power of darkness. Your mistress Sakura commands you under the contract to reveal your true form. Release!" Nothing happened. "Release!" Still nothing. "It's not working."

"Meiling doesn't have any magical ability at all." Syaoran stated, "Since you are in her body, you can only do what she could do."

"Then I guess everything is up to me," Meiling said haughtily. She grabbed the key from Sakura and repeated the chant with the same results. "It must be broken. It isn't working." She shook the key, trying to force it to activate.

"Sakura… Let me use the sleep card." Syaoran said. Sakura hastily agreed. Without her magic, she felt almost defenceless.

Soon the entire park was asleep.

"See if you two can grab the card while it's basking in the sun. Maybe it will switch you back." Syaoran suggested. It wasn't very hard. Magical or not, a lizard in the sun is a lizard in the sun. It didn't even twitch as they approached. They grabbed onto it simultaneously and were immediately transferred back into their own bodies.

Sakura released the staff. "Return to the form you were meant to be in!" Sakura said as she confined the Change Card to its card form.

* * *

After dinner that night, Sakura went to her room to do her homework for the day. She dumped her stuff out of the schoolbag onto her bed.

"This isn't mine!" She realized, seeing an array of Meilings belonging strewn before her. She had continued to carry Meiling's stuff around, despite the fact that they had returned to their own bodies. She began to pack Meiling's things back into the bag when she noticed two objects that stood out.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sakura asked. "We were worried that something bad would happen when we figured out someone else was doing it."

"You have the magic." Meiling replied. "You were always perfect for him!" They stood in awkward silence for a moment. "I thought, that maybe, if I was good enough… He might change his mind, and if not, at least I would be a match for you."

"Is that all you care about? Beating me? You feel inadequate about your lack of magic, so you do something that could put people in danger and hide it from us?"

"No!" Meiling countered, "Why do you think everything is about you?" Meiling stared into Sakura's eyes menacingly. "Every Li is the best. It is their birthright and their duty. I am a Li, and ever since I was a child, I worked to be the best at everything I could. I am the best fighter on the continent and no one cares. I work my but off to get straight As and no-one thinks anything of it because it has all be done countless times by practically every member of the family. I always knew it would be like this after I failed the test as a child. That's when everyone found out that I was going to be useless because I didn't have even a trace of magic within me. Nothing I could have done after that mattered, I was worthless.

"When Syaoran's father died, my mother came to help out here. I met him and despite everything, we became close. I was the only person who could get close to him at all since the accident. I was the only one he confided in at all. With everyone else it was working and training constantly.

"This was my only chance. It was be with Syaoran, or be nothing. I refused to be nothing, so I worked and worked to be the best for him. I was beginning to think that it was working, that one day all my hard work would pay off and I would be his wife. I would be somebody, not just a worthless, magicless, girl who had no right to bear the Li name.

"Then, you came along. You, with your magic and the Clow Cards! You were everything I ever wanted to be, including engaged to be my Syaoran's wife! I know the elders only chose you to keep the cards in the family, to fulfill whatever plans and prophecies they have, but if I found a way... If I got them myself, I might be good enough for them… They might change their minds and accept me.

"But, even now, it is too late. I have already lost everything. I can't even hate you for it because you are too damned nice and I know, if I did, he'd hate me for it. Why the hell did he have to fall in love with you?!"

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked, wondering whether she should run from the angry girl, or give her a shoulder to cry on. "Meiling, you are an amazing person, even if your family can't see it. You shouldn't let your life be defined by someone else."

"The worst thing is, I already knew that, but I can't live like that. I tried, but I need someone, and right now I don't even care who."

"If you want to keep the cards…. I don't mind," Sakura said. "If that's what you want."

"I think I will, if only for a while. I know, you will have them someday, but like with Syaoran, I don't want to let go… Not until I really have to." She let herself fall backward onto her bed and Sakura sat beside her. "Syaoran really didn't have a choice, he couldn't help loving you. It seems like everyone does."

"Why do you keep saying he loves me? He sometimes acts nicer to me than others, but no more so than to you."

"If he didn't love you, he would have told you who the wolf was on the night his mother gave you the choice between them."


	30. Singing Songs Of The Past

**Chapter 30: Singing Songs Of The Past**

* * *

Sakura headed towards Li's room. She really didn't know what to think. If what Meiling said was true? Should she be angry because he didn't tell her, or flattered because he did like her? What if she wasn't telling the truth? What would it seem like if she came barging in accusing him of misleading her? It might just be a plot to ruin the friendship that they had so Meiling could have him.

She stood outside the door and prepared to knock. She was completely unsure of how to confront him about the issue. She turned to leave, thinking that she should sleep on it and talk to him the next day. She then reconsidered, thinking that it was best to get this out of the way as soon as possible before it strained their friendship. She began pacing the hall, trying to decide what to do.

Finally, she decided and burst into Syaoran's room. She was greeted by the image of Syaoran lying on his bed wearing only his green silk pyjama bottoms with his eyes closed. He was listening to the Song Card sing. The song sang a beautiful tune in Chinese that Sakura had never heard before, but the emotion expressed by the music was so full of love and comfort that she couldn't help but love it.

"Sugoi!" She exclaimed.

"Sakura!" Syaoran's eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"What is this song?" She asked.

"It's nothing," Syaoran grunted, quickly returning the card to its card form.

"It's not nothing," She said. "Whose voice was it?"

"No one's," He replied. He lay back down, turned his back towards her and pretended to sleep.

Sakura sat on the edge of the bed near him. "If you won't tell me, I guess I can talk about other things…" She said. "I was talking to Meiling… She was pretty upset. She told me some things about you."

"It was my mother's voice," He interjected.

"She can sing? Why doesn't she sing now?" Sakura noticed a distinct change in his breathing. It was quicker and shallower. Syaoran rolled over. She could now see his face. His eyes glistened as if sad, but unable to shed tears.

"It's been a long time," He said.

"Syaoran…" She said, trying to coax more out of him. "SYAORAN!" He opened his eyes again as he felt her arms wrap around his chest. She seemed to be being pulled away from him.

"Sakura!" He returned the embrace and tried to pull her away from a spinning black vortex that was attempting to suck her into its murky depths. "Don't let go!" The vortex pulled violently on Sakura. Syaoran did his best to brace himself and keep Sakura from sliding any further in, but his efforts were futile. Sakura's grip on him began to slip.

"I can't hold on!" She cried as her nails dug into his ribs.

"Just keep hold of me for a minute," Syaoran said, withdrawing his sword pendant from his pocket. The sword grew to be its full size. "Force strike!" He swung his sword at the vortex, sending a wave of energy at it. The vortex was disrupted and Sakura fell free of it. "Are you okay?" He asked. Sakura nodded. She was still clinging securely to him.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I don't know. It might have been a Clow Card." He replied. As he said this, the vortex reappeared opening under them. They didn't get a chance to resist this time.

* * *

_"Let me come too!" A young Syaoran begged a man who bore a strong resemblance to him._

_"Xiao Lang, you have school," The man replied. "Also, I need you to look after Okaa-san for me."_

"Syaoran-kun…" Sakura said. "KAWAII!" She watched the interaction between the young Syaoran and the man.

"This happened when I was five," Syaoran said, looking rather pale.

"That man, he's…"

"Li Xun, my father."

_A woman appeared and embraced Li's father, and was soon followed by four ebullient girls slightly older than the young Syaoran._

_"Hurry back!"_

_"We'll miss you!"_

The scene faded and a new one took its place.

"This is your room," Sakura said.

_A young Syaoran moved across the large open area of the room, swinging his sword in wide arcs. Yelan entered the room and stopped the sword's motion with the edge of a fan._

_"Okaa-san."_

_"It's time for bed Xiao Lang," Yelan said. She forced the boy's sword to shrink into a pendant._

_"But Otou-san just gave me this sword. I want to train with it."_

_"There will be plenty of time for training tomorrow." Yelan took the sword and hung it around his neck. She picked up the child and placed him into his bed. "Now sleep. Tomorrow, you can practice all morning and then show Otou-san when he gets back in the afternoon."_

_"Hai," Syaoran replied as his mother tucked him into the bed. She then began to sing. Her song sounded exactly as the song card had sounded earlier._

_"Your mother sang that song. Why didn't you just tell me?" Sakura asked. Li just grunted and nodded in the direction of the door where a knock interrupted the song._

_"Li-sama," A younger Wei said. He entered before being given permission. "Xun is dead."_

The scene shifted to the a room where the elders were seated.

_"He is too young. We must choose another," The elder Li Xian said._

_"He is strong. Perhaps the best we have seen in many years. You have also heard the prophecies," Li Kum Soun replied. "We must give him a chance."_

_"If strength is what you look for in a leader, then we should choose by way of tournament," Li Yu Kai growled._

_"No! To choose another would dishonour our former leader. We must find a way of succession," Li Han Yu replied._

_"We cannot agree on allowing Xiao Lang to succeed his father, but we also cannot allow Xun's legacy to be forfeit," Li Xiao Fang interrupted. "Instead of arguing this point, we should find another solution." The other elders, or at least the majority of them, agreed with his statement._

_"Then let me lead in my son's stead," Yelan interrupted the council._

_"You are not a member of the council, so you have no say in the matter," Li Yu Kai yelled._

_"But her idea is valid," Han Yu countered. "Who knew her husband's ways better? And who has been raising their son? She has all the experience needed to take on the position until Xiao Lang is able to take over the position himself."_

_"She has other responsibilities to the clan," Li Xian said. "She cannot take up this as well."_

_"Give me a chance. I will prove that my son and I are worthy!" Yelan insisted._

"What's happening?" Sakura asked as the scenes of Syaoran's childhood flew by faster and faster.

"I don't know," He replied.

"Look now!"

"This is the day you arrived."

"There's me taking the Clow. Now, opening it. The Move." The cards began to scatter. One appeared before them and Syaoran snatched it out of the air before they found themselves jettisoned from the vortex.

The vortex was much smaller now. "What happened?"

"I think it ran out of power," Syaoran said. "Any magic manipulating time takes intense magical strength."

"Then now is a good time to seal it. Key that holds the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me. Your mistress, Sakura, commands you under contract. RELEASE!" Sakura brandished the sealing wand and swung it towards the swirling vortex, "Return to the form you were meant to be in!" The vortex transformed into a card bearing the name 'Return'. She signed the card and placed it in her pocket. She found something else there as well. "It's another Clow Card!"

"The Move must have put it there before The Return ran out of power," Syaoran guessed. "What card is it?"

"The Shot." She replied, "You got one too didn't you?" He held up his card.

"The Erase."

"Your mother… She doesn't sing to you anymore?" Sakura asked.

"No, what you saw… It was the last time. That woman, the one who sang to me…She doesn't exist anymore."

"But…"

"Okaa-san is still Okaa-san, but she hasn't been the same since that night."

"You miss the way she used to be..."

"Things happen, people change… people die. That is life. Looking back is useless. It is the future that matters."

"You don't mean that."

"It's the truth."

"So you think we should just forget the past?"

"It's easier that way."

"Since when does a Li do things the easy way? If you forget the past, then how do you know who you are? Without a past you are nothing."

"What would you know of it?" Syaoran growled, startling Sakura.

"I…"

"The past holds nothing but pain, hope is only in the future."

"If you truly believe that, then use your new card. Erase your past… You can't, can you?"

"I wish I could forget. Forget him. Forget the pain. Forget the changes that losing him caused."

"Forget him and you forget everything he taught you. You lose all the time you spent together. The reason you work so hard is to make him proud, isn't it? Where would you be if he hadn't been there?"

"You don't know what it's like to lose the most important person in your life."

"You… You don't know anything!" Sakura slapped Syaoran hard and stormed out of the room.


	31. Rendezvous In The Shadows

**CH31: Rendezvous in the Shadows**

* * *

"What the hell did I do?" Syaoran asked the now empty room. He was the one who had just suffered reliving his father's death. Why was she mad at him? They had been getting along so well before. 'She won't talk to me now.' He thought, 'There has to be a way to find out why she is so angry and how I can fix it.' He paced the room and considered his options. "There are only two people she'd talk to about this, Tomoyo and…" He trailed off. After thinking for a moment, he made his decision and jumped out of the window, hoping to get that special someone to Sakura before she went to sleep.

* * *

'Maybe he doesn't know.' Sakura thought as she wandered into the kitchen to get a snack for herself and Kero. 'I probably shouldn't have hit him… If he didn't know, I should apologize for it.' A maid handed her a slice of strawberry cake and a rather excessive bowl of vanilla pudding topped with maple syrup.

"Are you hungry?" Yelan's voice startled Sakura.

"Hai…" Sakura replied.

"Then perhaps you should take something else with you."

"Arigatou, but I think this will be enough, I am only a bit hungry." Yelan ignored this answer and instead took the treats she had acquired and placed them of a tray with another slice of cake, and a teapot along with two teacups and a bowl.

"I am sure this will be appreciated." Yelan said, "You should hurry to your room, It's not polite to keep people waiting."

Sakura did as directed, wondering what Yelan had meant.

* * *

"PUDDING!" Kero exclaimed the moment she entered the room. Sakura smiled as the small yellow creature lovingly nuzzled the stemmed glass container, "You're the best Sakura!" Sakura placed the tray on a table as Kero began to dig in.

"I wonder why she gave me, a second piece of cake?" She wondered.

"Probably for the mutt." Kero replied.

"Who?" She asked, before shrieking in surprise as she felt a cold wet nose nudge her. "Xiao Lang! What are you doing here?"

The wolf gently nuzzled her.

"You knew I was upset, and came to cheer me up again."

"He probably just wants the cake." Kero said.

"Kero!" Sakura chastised. "Unlike you, his brain does not reside in his stomach." Sakura poured two cups and a bowl of tea, giving one cup to each herself and Kero and setting the bowl on the ground with the second slice of cake. The wolf politely lapped at the tea and ate the cake.

"I wonder how she knew. I had no idea, but Syaoran's mother gave me the extra slice of cake, and the tea.

"She probably sensed the mutt's aura. It's almost as bright as yours, so it's hard to miss."

"Really?" Sakura concentrated on sensing the auras around her. Kero was right; the wolf did have a rather impressive aura with the strangely familiar shade of green mixed with silvery blue elements. She didn't concentrate too hard because the sheer volume of spells present in the house could be blinding to her magical senses, but even when only using limited perception, the wolf's aura was one of the strongest she had ever seen. She had only matched or exceeded by Kero, Yelan, Xiao Fang, Syaoran, herself, and a few visiting family and council members to whom she had not been formally introduced.

After the snack, Kero went to his private drawer to sleep and Sakura invited the wolf onto the bed to talk.

"Did Syaoran tell you what we fought about?"

The wolf looked surprised at her question.

"You thought I didn't know." She concluded, "It wasn't hard to figure out. I was told that Syaoran knows who you are; that he has known since before I met him. There's no other way you could have known I was upset."

The wolf whined softly.

"It's okay. I'm not mad at you." She scratched his head absent-mindedly, causing his tail to wag. "Syaoran's probably upset that he doesn't know why I am upset with him. He should have just asked me himself instead of resorting to getting you to find out for him. It just shows that he doesn't care about my feelings, or that he just doesn't trust me."

The wolf sighed.

"Maybe Meiling's right about him, maybe he cares more than I think he does and just doesn't know what to do about it."

The wolf's ears twitched at this comment.

"Actually, if he wasn't such a baka… This isn't what you came to hear though. I should probably tell you about the fight I just had with him."

The wolf nodded, hesitantly.

"He told me that I didn't know what it was like to lose someone important to me, that I didn't understand how he feels. He probably doesn't know the truth, or at least forgot about it. I may not know how he feels, but I know what it was like to lose a parent, maybe even more than he knows.

The wolf's ears perked, listening intently.

"Near the time Syaoran's father died, my mother died. She was still very young, but she had a terminal disease. It took her life slowly and painfully, but she tried to hide it from me and my brother. We could tell though, even if we didn't know how bad it was. She slowly became more frail. She was wasting away because she had trouble eating. A few times, when it was really bad, she went to the hospital. She told us it was just a cold or the flu and that she would be better soon, but she never got better.

"The last time I saw her was at my sixth birthday. After that, she couldn't get out of bed anymore. Two days after that, she died. Otou-san said that she had kept going just to see my sixth birthday before giving in to the sickness. I missed her a lot, but I was okay because my brother looked after me. He always tried to protect me from everything. He tried to take her place for me so that things wouldn't change too much." She paused to wipe some tears on her sleeve.

"I had thought that I had gotten over her death, that I could just remember her as my mother instead of something that I had lost, but when I came here, everything changed. It's not that it's bad, but things are different now. My brother's still here for me, but there isn't much else he can do. He can't help me like he used to because there are servants to do the chores and because he has to work almost full time, I rarely get to see him.

"Then there's otou-san. I haven't seen him for months, so it's like I have lost him too, and all the special things he used to do, like when he would change the picture of okaa-san every day. Because she used to be a model, there are hundreds of pictures of her. He changed them every day, but I've only seen each of them a few times so it was like she was still there, changing every morning as if she were still alive. I used to talk to the picture and tell okaa-san what was going on. I always thought she could hear what I was saying. Onii-chan said that she could, that he still saw her sometimes, though not as often as I got older. He said that was because she didn't have t o worry about me so much. I guess that's one good thing about this. Since he doesn't see me as much, he can't scare me by telling me about the" Sakura shuddered as she said the next word, "ghosts that he sees."

The wolf looked at her compassionately, and despite the fact that she knew it would probably relay every word to the one who had upset her in the first place, it made her feel better. As she rubbed the creature's fur, Sakura realized something, she didn't think of the wolf as a real person. He was more of a loyal pet. She had always treated him as such and had never thought twice about it. She could forgive him so easily when she only thought of him as an animal rather than a person. She certainly would not have let Li or any other boy sleep in her embrace as she had the wolf. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved the beast, but how did she love him? Was he a friend? A romantic interest? Or was he just a favoured pet, someone that could be trusted and held and cried on without the consequences that came with complex emotional burdens?

* * *

Sakura awoke before sunrise wrapped around a furry form. The feeling that awakened her was strong, but she could not see the source through the dark shadows of the night.

"Kero!" She called, simultaneously shaking the wolf awake.

The wolf growled softly as its slumber was disturbed. Kero did not respond.

"It's a Clow Card." She said. The wolf stretched and looked around, sensing for the card. "It's close, but it's too dark for me to see it." Sakura moved around the room trying to find the source of the magic.

A bark alerted her to the tall mirror toppling off of the dresser. Her furred companion launched himself into her, sending them both out of the way of the object that shattered as it struck the floor. The dresser itself then began to move across the floor towards them, but it was incinerated by a blast of fire that exploded from the wolf's jaws.

"Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form before me. Your mistress Sakura commands you under the contract to release!" Sakura called forth the sealing wand, not knowing what other dangers the card might pose. "Look out!" She shouted, as she drew out a card. "Sword." The scorched remains of the dresser were split in half. The two pieces spilled her clothes over the floor and momentarily stopped their motion. They resumed moving moments later. Each was taking a different path. One moved towards her, the other towards the wolf.

"King of Lightning, lend me your power!" She launched a bolt of electricity at the piece targeting her. Both stopped for a second, then resumed their course. "Light weakens it." Sakura realized. She leapt towards the light switch and flicked it to the on position. The darkness receded and coalesced into a single dark form in the centre of the room.

The wolf immediately launched a burst of fire at the form that resembled a cloaked figure. The attacked portion of its body dissipated then reformed when the attack ended. A shadowy tendril snaked along the floor to the wall and finally to the ceiling where it shattered the bulbs the brightened the room, sending a shower of sparks and glass down of Sakura and Xiao Lang.

Sakura's bed began to move, accelerating towards them. She leapt over it as it passed. Xiao Lang merely crouched and allowed the bed to pass harmlessly over him. Several smaller objects from around the room began to fly around. A picture frame flew from her bedside table and shattered as Sakura blocked it with her staff.

"Okaa-san!" She gasped as he fell to her knees to pick of the portrait that had been in the frame while the wolf blasted all the objects that hurtled towards her. "God of fire, Illuminate." Sakura used an ofuda to create a new source of illumination. The ofuda extended horizontally with a flame hovering over it. "Shot!" Lazer-like blasts rapidly fired at the menacing form, but like the wolf's previous attack cause no damage. "I guess I can't win by attacking you, so I'll just have to trap you. Windy! Bind it!" The Windy captured the card within a swirling vortex of air. "Return to the form you were meant to have!" Sakura sealed the card.

"Kero!" Sakura raced to the broken dresser as she realized that her guardian had been sleeping in the demolished piece of furniture. She started searching the wreckage for the magical creature that had missed the battle with the Shadow Card. She then noticed the sound of snoring coming from the pile of clothes that had fallen out when she had sliced the piece of furniture in two. He was still fast asleep. "Pudding." She whispered.

"Where?!" The little yellow creature asked, having been instantly awakened by the mention of his favourite treat.


	32. Flight Of Feather

**CH32: Flight of Feather**

* * *

Blackness. A drop of water sends ripples of power cascading around. A white bird looks her in the eye and caws. Thousands of birds' voices join the chorus. The bird leaps into the air. It perches on top of an ancient well that is surrounded by tall buildings. Someone is there. Someone with long hair sits by the well. Water is flowing. The sound is clear. Another drop of water falls. Clow's magic circle ripples into existence at the base of the well. A man's voice says, "Water is a thing that must flow." The city fades.

* * *

Sakura regained consciousness. Her bed felt different than usual. It was so soft like the sheets were made of silk. It smelled different as well. It was not her own scent, but the muskier scent of a guy. It wasn't alarming, but somehow soothing.

Sakura opened her eyes to find herself alone in Li's bed. He wasn't anywhere around. She remembered the events of the night where her bed had been trashed in the battle against the shadow. Syaoran had come soon after and had offered to let her sleep in his bed because there was some errand he had to run.

Sakura got out of bed and stretched to relieve herself of any residual tiredness. She was still wearing her pink pyjamas, so she decided to return to her room and see if she could find any suitable clothes that had not been burned or sliced.

"Hoe!" On her way, she had noticed a clock on the wall indicated that it was almost time for her to go to school. "I am going to be late! Why didn't someone wake me?!" She ran as fast as she could the rest of the way and burst into her room, slamming the door behind her. She raced to her dresser as she removed her pyjama top and grabbed a school uniform top from the second drawer and slipped it over her head. A thump echoed from behind her. She turned around and her face became beet red. "How long have you been there?" She asked.

"Since about two in the morning," An equally red Syaoran replied as the screwdriver he had dropped rolled across the floor. They stared back and forth for a few seconds. "Umm… I…" Syaoran stuttered, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Gomen…" Sakura apologized as she noticed that her room seemed to have returned almost to its original state. Most of the furniture was new.

"It's okay. I didn't see anything… Not that I would want to look."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I... Uhh. I mean that I didn't do this because I wanted to watch you changing." Sakura's red face began to look more angry than embarrassed at this point. "I… I mean… It wouldn't necessarily be so bad, but I wasn't trying to…"

"LI!"

"I didn't mean it how it sounds!"

"You think it would be bad to see me changing, so you don't want to look?"

"Yes! I mean no. I mean…" He glanced around nervously. "I… I… umm. I didn't mean that."

"So you were trying to sneak a peek then."

"No!" Li groaned, beginning to wish he had just left instead of putting his foot in his mouth. "I didn't mean in either way!"

"Hentai!" Sakura glared at him.

"Why don't we just forget this ever happened?"

"So it was so bad you don't even want to remember it!"

Li growled in frustration. "I was just doing this!" He growled pushing a button on a screen that hung from the wall. After a moment, it flickered on and a picture of Nadeshiko Kinomoto appeared on the screen.

"Okaa-san!" Sakura gasped after few moments, Li pressed a button and the image changed to another picture of Sakura's mother.

"There aren't many pictures yet" Syaoran said. "I called one of the Li Clan's holdings in Tokyo. They are going to send some people to the modelling agency your mother worked for and to your father's house. They will get as many pictures of your mother as they can and upload them to the database."

"Arigatou. Syaoran-kun," Sakura sniffled. "But next time, just ask me yourself, since I should probably be thanking the wolf Xiao Lang for this." Li sighed, fearing that nothing that he did would not make her unhappy somehow. His musing was interrupted as she embraced him with tears gently rolling down her cheeks. "Arigatou." She said again. Syaoran smiled.

"You can probably take that shirt off again." The slap came so fast, he didn't even see it.

"So you are a hentai!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Li said clasping his now swollen cheek. "In case you forgot, we don't have school today!" Sakura blinked slowly.

"Oh, right! Gomennasai." She giggled. "I completely forgot." Their entire grade had been let off school for the day to prepare for their week long school trip to a famous hot spring. The trip was scheduled to leave the next day. "Tomoyo said she'd be making our bathing suits." Li shuddered involuntarily as he remembered the last encounter he had had with one of Tomoyo's bathing suits. "Now, out!"

She shoved Li out the door so she could finish changing. She looked through her dresser for something more casual to wear. She only found school outfits and training outfits as well as some formal Chinese gowns. She sighed and considered her options. She picked up the phone and glanced at the speed dial buttons, pondering whom she should call. "I guess I'll just have to choose the lesser of two evils," She said as she pressed the button labelled Meiling.

"Moshimoshi, Sakura," Meiling's voice replied.

"I need to borrow some clothes and I need to go shopping."

* * *

"What do you need me for?" Syaoran asked as he was dragged towards the awaiting limo.

"Sakura told me of your ecchi activities," Meiling replied. "Since you like to watch her so much, you are going to do it all day!"

"I am not like that!" He growled.

"Ohayo Meiling-chan!" Tomoyo appeared from around the corner.

"Tomoyo-chan!" The door of the limo opened to reveal Sakura wearing one of Meiling's red tank tops and dark green miniskirt. "What are you doing here?"

"Meiling told me that we're going shopping for the most kawaii girl in china! I only wish she had called me first since I had the perfect shopping outfit for her."

Sakura sighed, thinking it probably would have been safer shopping alone.

* * *

The girls, and boy, were dropped off downtown. "This way!" Meiling exclaimed dragging Sakura through the light crowd. Tomoyo and Li followed. "You will love this store!"

"Hai!" Sakura replied as she followed the girl into a store that had several mannequins in the window that were dressed in the newest fashions.

"Put this on!" Meiling grabbed a skirt from off a rack.

"This too," Tomoyo said. The two of them filled Sakura's arms with as much as she could carry and then led her to the back of the store where there was a change room. After a minute she emerged wearing one of the outfits the other girls had picked out.

"How does it look?"

"…" Syaoran just stood there until Meiling elbowed him in the ribs. "It's… umm… nice." Sakura disappeared into the room again and returned wearing a different outfit.

"How about this one?"

"It's nice."

"This one?"

"It's nice."

"I think he's broken," Meiling whispered to Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Try this one on next," Tomoyo suggested, hand Sakura a horribly ugly and mismatched outfit, which she dutifully changed into.

"How is this one?" She asked.

"It's… umm… nice," He replied.

"You're no help at all," Meiling said, smacking the back of her cousin's head.

"I know how he can help," Tomoyo said, as she handed Li a few bags of clothing to carry.

* * *

A few hours, and many stores later, Syaoran was balancing as many packages as he could handle. They all contained clothing which he had deemed to be 'nice'. Meiling had called for the limo so that they could drop off the packages before continuing their shopping spree.

"Are you ready to return?" The driver asked, pulling up to them.

"Just dropping off a few things," Meiling replied. The trunk of the limo was soon stuffed to capacity. "You can take these back. We'll call when we need you again." Syaoran gazed longingly at the retreating limo as the girls dragged him to yet another store.

* * *

"What's that sound?" Sakura asked as they walked down the street.

"It's the famous 'bird alley,'" Tomoyo explained.

"Birds are very popular in Hong Kong," Syaoran informed Sakura. "Many people even take their birds outside in cages to show them off. Bird alley is a market where all types of birds are sold."

"Let's go see!" Sakura raced towards the sound. "Sugoi!" She said as she saw the thousands of birds lining the street in all sorts of decorative wire cages.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo said as she was looking at a small colourful bird in a square cage.

"Kawaii!" The parrot a few cages down mimicked.

"Look at this one," Meiling said. "Have you ever seen a bird like this?"

"Birds can be quite beautiful," A woman said. She had appeared next to them out of the crowd. "It's a magically unique creature, isn't it? It is the only one of its kind that I've ever seen."

"How much for it?" Li demanded of the owner of the creature.

"This one is for display only." The owner replied.

"Ohayo," Sakura greeted the longhaired woman who had commented on the bird. "Do you know a lot about birds?"

"Four thousand yuan!" Syaoran growled. He was intent on purchasing the bird.

"I can't sell this one," The vendor said. "It is the only one of its kind that I have come across."

"Not really," The woman replied. "But I can tell that this one is special."

"I think you misunderstand. I will have that bird, so name your price."

"I couldn't possibly let it go," The man said.

"My name is Sakura Kinomoto."

"Kaho Mizuki," The woman replied with a smile that made Sakura feel really sweet. "I apologize for not chatting longer, but I have a meeting. I will see you tomorrow." Mizuki-san disappeared back into the crowd.

"Everything has its price," Syaoran replied to the vendor.

"I might consider it if you could offer me one hundred thousand yuan, but…"

"Done!" Syaoran replied, shocking the man.

"How can you possibly afford…"

"I don't have that much cash with me," Syaoran said. "But this should do." He handed the man a cheque.

"Li… Xiao… Lang…" The vendor said as looked at the cheque closely. He then tore the cheque in half. "Please accept my apologies. Had I known who you were, I would have never asked such a price. Please take the bird. It is a gift." The man placed the remnants of the cheque in an envelope.

"Arigatou," Li replied. He took the birdcage from its pedestal. "Here." He handed the cage to Sakura.

"Syaoran-kun…?" Sakura asked. She examined the long-necked white bird.

"It's yours," He said. "I'll explain later." The bird in the cage cawed, and Sakura got the feeling that she was being watched.

"Why did he just give you the bird when you were willing to pay a lot for it?"

"He probably owes my family something. He recognized my name as the future leader. He will probably ask the favour returned sometime in the future. He probably already has one in mind." He glanced around. "Something feels strange," He said.

"I have had a feeling for a little while that we are being watched," Sakura said.

"I think it is time we headed home," Syaoran said. "If we cut through here, maybe we can get to a street that is less busy so we can get out of here faster." Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling cut through an alley between the high-rise buildings.

As they followed the alley, they came upon a small courtyard. It contained an ancient water shrine that consisted of a shallow well and a decorative roof. Sakura leaned into Syaoran as the feeling of being watched became creepier and more intense.

"This isn't normal," Syaoran said. He was caressing the sword talisman hidden underneath his shirt.

"You feel it too?" Sakura asked.

"What are you talking about?" Tomoyo asked as she brought out her video camera to capture the scene of Sakura and Li being so kawaii.

"I don't see anyone around… You don't think it's a ghost do you?" Sakura asked, shivering in fear.

"Of course not. Ghosts don't do this." He took the opportunity to grab Sakura's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. "Besides… Whatever it is… is that way." He drew out his sword and in one fluid motion swung it in the direction of the top of one of the buildings. "Force strike!" The wave of energy from Syaoran's attack clipped the top of the building, sending dust flying and scaring away the birds that were perched there. After that, the eerie feeling dissipated.

"Arigatou, Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. "Whatever it was is gone now."

* * *

"It's a Clow Card?" Sakura asked, once they were in the limo and Syaoran had explained why he had given her the bird.

"The fly card," Syaoran confirmed. "It seems calm. Why don't you seal it?"

"Release!" Sakura summoned the sealing wand. She was slightly put off by the fact that Tomoyo's video camera had miraculously appeared in her hands at the mention of Clow Cards. "How did you get that out so quick?" she asked.

"Practice!" Tomoyo replied, "I can't let myself miss any of the 'Kawaii Sakura's Clow Card Adventures!'"

"Fly Card, return to the form you were meant to be in." The bird transformed into a card. "Why did you give the Fly Card to me? Aren't you also trying to capture the cards?"

"I don't like flying," He replied.

"Last year, when we took a trip to…" A hand clamped over Meiling's mouth.

"You tell Sakura that story, and I swear, favourite cousin or not, you will regret it!" Syaoran threatened.

"…Fanren had to hold his hand the entire flight." Meiling continued as she was peeling Li's hand from her mouth.

"But I've seen him jump between rooftops. How could he be afraid of flying?"

"I am not afraid of flying! I just don't like it." Syaoran insisted.


	33. Are We There Yet

**CH33: Are We There Yet?**

* * *

Sakura awoke in her own bed to see her mother's face smiling down upon her. Sometime during the night the picture had changed, just as it did at home. She silently thanked Li for what he had done for her. Her door opened and the one she had just been thinking of entered the room.

"I tried knocking, but if I have to drag you out of bed so we won't be late, I'll do it." Sakura instinctively pulled the covers up to her chin as Li approached the bed. He leaned forwards until his face was almost touching hers and whispered, "If you aren't ready to go in five minutes, you're not going to get breakfast." When he stood up again, she saw that he was holding the suitcase she had packed the night before in preparation for the trip. He turned and left her room, closing the door behind him. Sakura realized that she had been holding her breath. For a moment, she had thought that his intention for leaning over her was to kiss her.

"Baka," She muttered as she slipped on a pair of jeans and a thin green sweater that she had purchased the previous day.

* * *

"Grab what you want, we are leaving now," Syaoran taunted as Sakura hastily piled food onto her plate, which she took with her into the limo that awaited them. Wei opened the door for her, before taking his place in the driver's seat.

"Where's Meiling?" Sakura asked between bites of strawberries and waffles.

"She said that she had something to do and left early," Syaoran replied.

"HOE!" Sakura exclaimed,

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, glancing around for danger.

"My breakfast is gone," Sakura replied. "I thought I'd picked up more than that."

"We need to get that stuffed animal his own room," Syaoran sighed, "You're starting to sound like him."

Sakura giggled at the comment. "It could be worse; I could eat like him." They sat in silence for a moment. "Syaoran?" Sakura asked, "There's something I have wanted to ask you for a few days."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"The wolf… You know who he is."

"Hai," Li replied.

"You never told me, who is he?"

"I… can't tell you that, at least not yet."

"Why not?"

"I… uhh…"

"You are going to tell me eventually, right?"

"Hai."

"When?"

Syaoran didn't answer for a moment, and then looked her in the eye while delivering his response. "Just trust me. I will tell you, when I am ready."

"When are you going to be ready?"

"I don't know, but I can promise it will be before I am eighteen."

"I can't wait a year and a half! By then, even if I did know, it would be too late."

"You dislike me that much?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Then what did you mean by it?" Syaoran asked, looking a little hurt.

"I just want to choose for myself what I do with my life. I don't mind if it is something small in comparison to the decision I can't make, but this decision is for the rest of my life. I want to make it myself."

"You don't understand, do you? You never had a choice," Syaoran who had begun to look tense relaxed a bit. "Even if you found out the true identity of the wolf, you wouldn't have a choice. Okaa-san does not leave anything to chance. The only reason she would give you a choice is if you had no option but to take the option that she chooses."

"How do you know? What could possibly be so bad that I wouldn't stand a chance with him?"

"It's not you," Syaoran paused dramatically. "His heart already belongs to someone."

"Then tell me who it is. I have to know, or I can't be satisfied."

"I… can't tell you, not yet."

"Please!" Sakura begged, "I'll do anything."

"Sakura…" Syaoran's resolve wavered for a moment under her pleading gaze. "I'll tell you, but you have to do one thing."

"What is it?"

"The only way that I can tell you…" He stopped mid sentence. "Nevermind, forget it."

"How can I forget? You say that I have no chance with this other guy, but you still won't tell me what I have to do!" Sakura suddenly thought of something. "You weren't about to ask me to…" She looked away embarrassed as she thought of all the ecchi things that she was told were done and desired.

"Of course not!" Syaoran said indignantly. "What kind of man do you think I am? If I wanted to act all hentai, I could get it from any one of those girls who are always fawning over me." Then under his breath muttered, "They've certainly offered to do it enough."

"Please!" Sakura looked straight into his eyes, her own glistening as if on the edge of tears.

"You have to…" Syaoran gazed back into those eyes, all ability to resist shattered by the look she was giving him, "tell me that you love me."

"I…" Sakura was shocked; this type of pronouncement was completely unlike Syaoran. "Is this something your mother ordered you to do?"

"No," Syaoran replied, his face bright red.

"I don't understand my you would ask me this," Sakura said sadly, "I can't say something like that…."

"Gomennasai," Li apologized. They both sat silently for the rest of the trip to school.

* * *

"Ohayou gozaimasu." A lady stood by the bus waiting to take them on the trip. "My name is Mizuki Kaho," She announced. "Terada-sensei has been transferred to another class due to a staffing shortage. Starting today, I will be your teacher."

"Ohayou gozaimasu," The class echoed.

"That's the lady you were talking to yesterday," Tomoyo said.

"Hai," Sakura confirmed.

"I hope that this trip will give us an opportunity to get to know each other," The teacher continued. "I will talk to each and every one of you during the trip. I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you. It will be a very long trip, so please take this opportunity to use the washrooms. We don't want any unnecessary accidents." She smiled. It made Sakura feel all sweet, while having the opposite effect on Syaoran.

* * *

The students were all soon aboard the waiting bus. Li and Meiling were seated together in the middle while Tomoyo and Sakura were seated together at the very back.

"I wonder why he had to say that," Sakura mumbled to herself.

"Did Li say something to you?" Tomoyo asked.

"You know the wolf. Syaoran told me that he'd tell me who the wolf was, but not until I tell him that I love him."

"Do you love him?" Tomoyo asked.

"No," Sakura replied quickly. "I… We've been getting along better recently, he is a good friend, and he… I don't know how I feel about him. It's like there are many different Syaorans. There's the violent aggressive one, the protective one, the irritating prankster one, and the nice and thoughtful one. Sometimes, I feel like I don't really know who he is at all. Every time I think I do, he comes out and does or says something like this morning."

"What would you do if he had told you who the wolf was?"

"I don't know," Sakura said. She leaned against the window of the bus and stared at the passing scenery. "A while ago, I might have gone running to him begging him to take Syaoran's place, but now I am not so sure."

"You are starting to like Li?"

"That's not it. It's just that... Yesterday night, he was in my room and I was talking to him. I realized that I didn't think of him as a person, not like you, or Syaoran, or Meiling. I looked at him and I saw someone who would sit and listen and just be there, like a teddy bear or a pet. He was someone who I didn't have to worry about hurting because they'd be loyal no matter what. I've never really considered the wolf's feelings like I should."

"You don't need either of them. You are the card mistress, and with me as your guardian, you don't need to worry about anything."

"Kero!" Sakura grabbed the stuffed animal which had been floating above her bag and shoved it back in. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to the hot-springs," He replied. "The TV said that they are famous for their soothing springs, their beautiful scenery, and their all you can eat buffet!"

"Why couldn't you just stay home, where the only ones you had to avoid were my brother and Yukito, and where the chef brings you all the pudding you can eat?" she asked. She was noticing that a few students were looking at her oddly for speaking to her bag.

"There's a very good explanation for that!"

"You forgot all of that when you heard about the buffet," Tomoyo suggested with a giggle.

"Hai," Kero sighed.

* * *

"Did you do something to Sakura?" Meiling asked. "She's been acting strange since you guys arrived this morning. It's like she is avoiding you."

"I didn't do anything."

"So it's something you said, or maybe, something you didn't do."

"She was asking questions about the identity of the wolf."

"You finally told her?

"No, of course not," Syaoran said. "But she wouldn't let it go. She said she would do anything to find out the truth."

"What did you tell her to do?" Syaoran didn't respond. He was slightly blushing and looking embarrassed. "Hentai!" Meiling shouted loud enough to cause everyone on the bus to turn and look at them.

"It's just a misunderstanding!" Syaoran said. He was turning bright red for the second time that day, especially when he saw Sakura was looking at him as well. He slouched in his seat so that the majority of the class couldn't see him. "You know I wouldn't do something like that!" He hissed quietly so only Meiling could hear.

"I know," Meiling laughed. "But it was funny to do anyway." Li glared at her. "So what did you really ask her to do?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, you can tell me."

"You are Li Syaoran and Li Meiling," Kaho Mizuki said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Hai, Mizuki-sensei." The two Lis responded simultaneously. Syaoran was suddenly acting stiff and nervous.

"No need for such formalities now," the teacher said. She was acting oblivious to the suspicious glares she was receiving from Syaoran. "One of my goals for this trip is to get to know my students, so I hope you will feel free to talk with me about any matter that comes up."

"Arigatou, Mizuki-sensei, we will." Meiling replied politely. Li merely grunted.

* * *

"When are we getting there anyway, I'm hungry."

"We should be there in thirty minutes," Tomoyo answered. "The hot springs are only forty-five minutes from Hong Kong.

"It's good to see you again, Kinomoto-san," Miss Mizuki said. This prompted Kero to stiffen and go into 'stuffed animal' mode.

"Hai!" Sakura smiled, "Please call me Sakura."

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan," the woman replied. "You are Daidouji Tomoyo." Tomoyo smiled and nodded politely. "I hope that we will get to know each other better on this trip. It will be a long drive, so I am sure we will have another chance to talk." Miss Mizuki returned to the front of the bus, having introduced herself to every student on board.

"Did you sense something odd about that teacher?" Kero asked. He was glad that she was now gone so that he could relax again.

"No, not really," Sakura answered.

Kero concentrated for a moment before saying, "Are we almost there? I'm hungry."

"You are hungry are you?" Sakura looked at him suspiciously. "You weren't hungry near my breakfast earlier, were you?"

"Of course not!" Kero replied indignantly while he licked a red strawberry stain from his cheek.

"We should be there in about ten minutes." Tomoyo said.

"Your watch must be broken. We're still really close to Hong Kong." Kero pointed out the rear window.

"We've been driving for at least twenty-five minutes," Sakura said. She looked at her watch and then to the window. She stood up and headed towards Syaoran. Miss Mizuki was conveniently in deep conversation with the bus driver, so Sakura had little reason to fear being caught out of her seat while the bus was moving. There was a sudden jolt as the bus hit a pothole and Sakura fell right into Syaoran's lap.

"You okay?" Syaoran asked as he was helping her to sit up.

"Hai." She blushed at the fact that Syaoran had his arm around her waist, giving her back support as she was seated sideways on his lap. "We've been driving a long time, right?"

"Hai. We should be a little past half way there."

"Look out the back. We're still really close to the city." Sakura was lifted up bridal style as Syaoran stood for a moment to take a look. This elicited several snickers, especially when Syaoran shifted his grip and Sakura wrapped her arm around his neck to keep herself from falling. "Shouldn't we be further?"

"Hai," Syaoran nodded. The bus hit another bump and Syaoran landed hard back in his seat, with Sakura pressed tightly against him as the bus continued to shake.

"What's… happening?" She asked. She was clinging to Syaoran out of fear rather than necessity.

"I… think… it's… a… flat… tire." Moments later, the bus stopped and Miss Mizuki stood up.

"Please remain calm. It seems there are some mechanical problems, I am sure we shall be underway again soon." She and the driver exited the bus.

"Do you think a Clow Card might be responsible for this?" Sakura whispered. Syaoran nodded.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed. Sakura turned her head to see Tomoyo standing over them with her camera rolling. This reminded Sakura of her current position with Li and she jumped out of his arms onto her feet.

"We were just talking," She hastily explained.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you liked Li more then you let on," Tomoyo insinuated.

"It seems that we have a flat tire," Miss Mizuki announced. Everyone please exit the bus, so that the driver can change the tire. Please stay close by. It will only be a few minutes for the repairs." The students filed out of the bus.

"If there is a Clow Card, this would be a good time to look for it. Hide behind the bus and put everyone to sleep." Syaoran whispered to Sakura as they disembarked. Sakura nodded and immediately walked around the back of the bus.

"Key that hides the power of darkness," She whispered, "Reveal your true form before your mistress. Under the contract, I command you: Release!" Sakura brought out the sleep card and set it to work. Soon all their classmates and the driver were fast asleep. Miss Mizuki, however, conspicuously stood out as being fully alert.

"It seems that everyone else is taking a nap. I'll wait here until you're done," She announced mysteriously.

"I don't trust her," Syaoran said.

"She seems nice though," Sakura said.

"She was unaffected by the sleep card, and I get a strange feeling whenever I am around her."

"You're just paranoid. Help me to find the Clow Card."

"It's probably the loop card," Kero suggested.

"What are you doing!? What if Miss. Mizuki sees you?"

"She's way over there," Kero scoffed. "She won't see anything."

"The loop card connects two points, so we have to find where they connect."

"Hey!" Kero protested, "I was going to say that!"

"Then you were probably also going to say what we should look for breaks in the scenery, because that's where the card will be." Kero glared at Syaoran for stealing his line.

"I found it!" Sakura announced, interrupting Kero and Syaoran's posturing.

"Where?" They asked in unison.

"Right in between you." They both looked down to see a magical line straight across the road.

"Sakura, use the sword card and cut the loop." Kero ordered.

"But, what about the bus?" Sakura gestured to where the line passed right through the bus's rear tire. "And there could still be students half on both sides of the line. What will happen to them if their bodies are suddenly split in two when the loop disconnects?"

"Then, we will just have to move them." Syaoran went over to where Meiling was and picked her up, moving her a few feet past the line. Then, he grabbed the next person and did the same thing. Some of them began to wake, but Sakura used the sleep card to put them under again as they started stirring. Soon all of the students were on one side of the line.

"How are we going to move the bus? We can't drive, and even if we could, the tire is flat," Sakura asked.

"I have an idea," Kero began before Sakura noticed their teacher coming around the corner of the bus. Sakura grabbed Kero and stuffed him into her pocket, before the teacher could notice him.

"I found these tools, and I found out that the spare tire is on the bottom of the bus," Miss Mizuki said as she approached, "Perhaps you'd like to change it, and then we will be ready to go when everyone wakes up." She smiled and placed the tools in front of them.

"Arigatou," Sakura smiled, "We'll do our best." Li merely glared at the woman. "Do you know how to change a tire?" she whispered.

"Of course!" Syaoran said.

"Have you ever done it before?"

"Not exactly…" Syaoran said. He was looking less confident than he had a few seconds ago, "But I've seen Wei do it a few times. I am sure I can figure it out." He picked up the tools and began walking towards the front of the bus where the flat tire was.

"I think you will also need the spare tire." Miss Mizuki suggested, "It is under the bus in the back here." Syaoran growled in irritation and then returned to the back of the bus and crawled under it to find the spare tire that had been mentioned. Miss Mizuki went to check on the other students. A minute later Sakura heard a thump and a grunt.

"A little help please?" Syaoran's voice called out. Sakura crawled under the bus where Syaoran had successfully released the spare tire... while he was still under it. Sakura grabbed the edge of the tire and pulled with all her strength. The tire was very heavy and almost twice the size of a car's tire, but thanks to all the training she had done since she had started staying at the Li mansion, she was able to get it to move. As she dragged the tire off Syaoran's chest, there was a tearing sound.

"Gomen-nasai!" She said as she dragged the tire and the remnants of Syaoran's shirt from under the bus.

"Not like I can't afford a new one." Syaoran appeared out from under the bus. His hair was a mess and he was covered in grease and dirt. "Sakura…"

"Hai?"

"Be careful." He said. Syaoran glanced around to ensure no one was listening, "There is something not right about that teacher."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone suddenly falls asleep and she acts like it's a normal occurrence. She leaves the repair of the bus to two unqualified students. She just acts strangely. The things she says can't be coincidences. I just don't trust her."

"Well, I guess you're right, but I feel so sweet when I am talking to her."

"I am not telling you not to talk to her or anything, but you should be careful around her. We don't know what her objective is."

"But,"

"I hate to agree with the stupid gaki, but he's right," Kero said after popping his head out of Sakura's pocket.

"I'll be careful," Sakura relented.

"Now to jack up the bus so we can remove the tire," Syaoran said. He appeared satisfied with the outcome of the conversation.

"So you're remembering how to change a tire better now?" Sakura asked.

"Actually, I found this when I was getting the tire down." Syaoran revealed a piece of greasy folded paper that had a picture of a tire on the front. With the help of the paper and Sakura, the tire was soon replaced and the flat one was placed where they had found the spare.

"Now, to move the bus." Syaoran went to the back of the bus and put his weight against it, pushing with all of his strength. His muscles bulged as he strained and his face turned red as his body began to glisten with sweat. Despite his efforts, the bus barely rocked.

"Dash!" Syaoran lost his balance as the bus was shifted into gear and rolled forward and fell to the ground. Sakura apologized, "I didn't think it would be able to move the bus on its own." Syaoran rubbed his asphalt pitted posterior.

"There's nothing on the line right now, we should cut it."

"Sword Card! Put your powers into the wand!" Sakura incanted. This caused the sealing wand to take the form of The Sword. Making sure that they were on the correct side of the loop, Sakura cut through it and sealed it. After a few seconds, she handed the card to Syaoran. "You worked really hard, you should have this one."

"Arigatou." He accepted her gift.


	34. The Amazing Illusionist

**CH34: The Amazing Illusionist**

* * *

"I see everything went well," Miss Mizuki said. "Shall we wake the others? We don't want to be too late."

"Hai!" Sakura smiled. She began to shake the others awake. Syaoran glared at the woman, but did as she suggested. A piercing squeal awoke everyone at once.

"Why didn't you wake me?" A distressed Tomoyo asked.

"Gomen," Sakura apologized and promised that she would remember next time.

"Everyone, please board the bus," Mizuki-sensei said. "I'd like to thank Syaoran for his help in fixing the tire."

"Did you know that wheels were invented in Rome?" Yamazaki asked as he popped up by Sakura and Syaoran.

"Really?"

"Now, wheels are made with rubber and roads are made of rocks, but the Romans used to make their roads out of rubber and their wheels were made of rocks. This is because they didn't have engines and hard roads would hurt the feet of their horses."

"Yamazaki-kun?" Chiharu approached the boy.

"Hai!" He acknowledged.

"STOP TELLING LIES!" Chiharu smacked him on the back of the head.

"He was lying?" Sakura asked.

"Of course. He always lies, Syaoran answered.

"You believed him too," Meiling teased.

* * *

Despite their appearance of closeness to the city, they were closer to the hot springs than they had thought. It only took fifteen minutes to the point where the bus dropped them off.

"Where are the hot springs?" Meiling asked as she was looking at the dense forest surrounding them.

"There is a path in the forest," Miss Mizuki explained. "If you follow it correctly, you will arrive at the hot springs." She pointed to a path. Next to it was a sign that indicated that the hot springs were in fact still three kilometres away. "Do not go off alone. We don't want anyone to get lost." She began leading the way into the forest and the class followed. Sakura, Syaoran, Meiling and Tomoyo were taking up the rear.

* * *

"Hoee!" Sakura tripped over a root that was slightly raised above the level of the rest of the path. She, Tomoyo, and the Lis had been lagging behind the class a bit, so no one else noticed Sakura's fall.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"You alright?" Syaoran asked.

"No! I am being crushed!" A voice cried out from under Sakura.

"Hai… I think I'm okay." Syaoran took her arm and helped her when she tried to stand up. When Sakura put her weight on her left foot, she grimaced and stumbled, falling against Li who gladly caught her.

"You're not fine," Syaoran said.

"It's not broken, at worst, it's a sprain," Meiling said asfter crouching down to inspect it. "You will have to keep off of it until it feels better."

"I guess Syaoran will have to carry her the rest of the way," Tomoyo suggested.

"I'll be fine!" Sakura insisted. "I just need a stick or something to lean on."

"No. If it's sprained, any exertion could make it worse." He moved his grip down to her thighs and hefted both her and the heavy bag she was wearing, that was full of clothes and other essentials, up so that her legs straddled his hips and she was using his arms as a chair. "Let's go." He started down the path before she could protest.

Sakura sighed with resignation. She recognized the look on his face. He always wore it when he was protecting something. It meant that there was nothing she could do to change his mind, short of finding a better solution to the problem. As far as she could tell, there was none. She let her chin rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The gentle rhythm of his walking and the smell that was so soothing and familiar form two nights before were slowly putting her to sleep.

* * *

Her bottom was cold. It was the first thing she noticed when she woke up.

"She's a really heavy sleeper," Tomoyo commented and then added with a small smile, "Perhaps you could wake her with a kiss." Syaoran's eyebrow twitched and then he turned beet red.

"We're trying to wake her, not make her sick," Kero leered.

"It would work better than all the things you've tried."

"Why am I sleeping on a rock?" Sakura asked, interrupting the discussion.

"Something's not right, we've been walking for three hours and we haven't arrived yet."

"It's as if we are going around in circles."

"We are. We passed this fork like three times already." To the left and right of the rock the path split into two different trails. "We've gone both directions, and we always end up here."

"I can use the Fly Card or the Jump Card and see which direction we should go," Sakura suggested.

"Are you alright to do it? Does you ankle still hurt?"

"I feel fine," Sakura said. She only winced slightly as she stood up.

"Use The Jump on me." Syaoran ordered.

"Hoe." Sakura sighed as she released her staff and acquiesced with Syaoran's demands. "Jump!" Syaoran leapt into the air and impacted a tree-limb which sent him tumbling back down to the ground.

"That wasn't the wind." He said, "That branch moved on its own."

"You think something is trying to trap us?" Meiling asked.

"It's past the point of trying to trap us. We are already in its trap." Kero said ominously, "We must get out of here within an hour."

"What happens in an hour?"

"It will be too late for us…"

"That's when the buffet closes isn't it," Tomoyo said. It was as if reading the small yellow creature's mind.

"Kero!" Sakura scolded. "Why did you have to worry us with something so trivial?"

"Maybe whatever is doing this is a Clow Card."

"Can you sense anything Sakura?"

"No, there doesn't seem to be anything." She responded after closing her eyes.

"No magical presences at all?"

"No, there is nothing." Sakura said. "It's like this forest doesn't even exist."

"What are you talking about?" Meiling demanded, "This forest is as real as anything." She punched a tree solidly to prove a point."

"I know the forest is here, but it isn't right." Sakura closed her eyes again, "Li-sensei taught us that all things contain magical energies. Everyone here I can sense, to some degree, by the trees and rocks, I can't sense anything where they are."

"Real or not," Syaoran drew out his sword, "These trees are in our way. Erase!" The magical energies of the erase card rushed out and passed right through the trees with no effect.

"Sakura, try the sword." Kero suggested.

"Hai!" Sakura drew the sword card, "Sword enter the wand and lend me your powers." She cut through a mass of trees and shrubbery. Almost instantly, it grew back thicker and more daunting than before and the fallen pieces disintegrated. "Wood, make these trees into saplings!" The wood appeared but was like the other things they had tried: ineffective.

"Nothing is working. We don't have any way of escaping."

"You give up too easily," Meiling stated. She drew out the pendant from inside her shirt.

"No! That's too dangerous, Meiling," Syaoran said. He was looking genuinely concerned for Meiling's welfare. "You know how that pendant works."

"Of course I do, I've used it before. The elders taught me everything that I could possibly need to know about it." The little yin-yang pendant had the yang rotated until it overshadowed the Ying. "Fiery!" Meiling's fists began to glow with flames and she used them to punch through the thick woods that held them captive.

"It's working." Sakura gasped.

"Not for long," Syaoran grabbed both her and Meiling and jumped through the flaming hole that Meiling had created. Almost immediately, the hole reformed into an impenetrable tangle of leaves and vines. Pausing a moment to ensure that they were unharmed, Syaoran turned towards Meiling. "Baka!" He slammed her against a tree and tore the pendant from her neck. He crushed the delicate ornament in his grip. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I can handle it!" Meiling countered. She threw a punch at Syaoran.

"How can you handle it? I can't handle it and I have a thousand times the magic that you do."

"What's so bad about it?" Sakura asked, interrupting Syaoran and Meiling's argument.

"Remember Xiao Fang's lecture on the source of magic? The energy is not infinite, and it must come from somewhere. When using the Clow Cards, we are drawing energy from the sun and moon to power their effects. Our magic is only serving to maintain the connection. When you use this, it draws the power directly from you. The official term for this effect is magical inversion. It takes something of the physical and changes its nature to be magical. She was drawing all of the energy from her own body. It's amazing that she hasn't killed herself doing this."

"When we have no power source, the energy is drawn from our life force…" Sakura said, remembering the lesson, "Gomennasai!" Sakura collapsed to her knees, "I should have told someone when I found out she was the one who captured the card. I never really thought about how it works. Something bad could have happened…"

"Sakura… How long have you known about it?"

"Three days."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Meiling obviously didn't want me to find out. She knew I'd react this way. You were just being a good friend to her. You didn't know the dangers of what she was doing." He turned back to Meiling. "You should have known better. Don't you remember what happened last time you tried this!"

"I was just a kid. I didn't know what I was doing back then."

"And you still don't or you wouldn't have tried something so stupid."

"Don't yell at her," Sakura pleaded. "She had a reason,"

"There's no good reason to put your life in danger!"

"Then why are you always doing it for me?"

"That's different!"

"No, it isn't! Why do people hurt themselves? Why is it always because of me?"

"What does this have to do with you?"

"Everything! Maybe if you considered other people's feelings and stop barging in on situations you don't understand."

"You think I don't understand? The only reason she did this was because of her jealously. You think I can live with someone for over ten years and not know them at all? I don't care if I hurt her feelings or completely crush her heart. It's better to be alive and hurting than dead."

"Some things are worth risking your life for," Meiling interjected. "Sometimes it doesn't seem rational to anyone else… But there are things people have to do or they might as well be dead."

"You think that it's it better? Do you want to see what you were doing to yourself?" He slammed his sword into the ground. "I'll show you, I'll protect you both and…" He looked around.

"Tomoyo!" The three of them exclaimed as they realized at the same time that their friend was not with them anymore.

* * *

Tomoyo watched Syaoran jump through the flaming hole. Before she could follow, the hole closed. "Now, I can't capture the 'Kawaii Adventures of Card Captor Sakura'," She said sadly. All around her, the foliage began to disappear, leaving a plain green wall in its stead. "This is a maze." Tomoyo realized as she looked around. She placed her finger against the wall and began to walk, knowing that as long as she followed the wall, she would eventually be led to the exit, where she could hopefully see Sakura capturing the card.

* * *

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura tried to force her way through the foliage, but it was no use.

"You won't find her that way." Syaoran said, "Besides I think I know why we are lost. It is the Maze Card. It won't let us find the exit."

"The Maze Card?"

"It creates a maze that is impossible to escape from. Have you ever heard of the Labyrinth of Crete?"

"No."

"It is said that it is so complex, that once you enter it is impossible to find your way out. Clow was the one who created it using the Maze Card. Only one person ever escaped the labyrinth with their life." Syaoran explained.

"So, we are going to be trapped in here forever?" Meiling asked.

"No, but it's going to be difficult to escape. There is another card at work that has been trying to hide the nature of The Maze from us." Kero said, "Once we get rid of that, we may be able to find the path to the exit. Just don't try to cheat, or things will get worse."

"How can they get worse?" Meiling asked as she glared at the doll-like creature.

"Well…"

* * *

"You would be lost without me, Keroberos," Clow said as he walked down the newly formed passages.

"Anyone would be," He replied. "Why do you insist on expanding the house with the Maze Card."

"It makes our home more interesting and it keeps people who break in from finding what they are looking for."

"I give up," Keroberos sighed as they once again arrived at the central courtyard, "I have no idea where the kitchen is." He leapt into the air. The maze's walls rose up around him and space distorted so that he found himself falling sideways into another facet of the mansion.

* * *

"So you are saying that if we don't do the maze the right way it gets harder!"

"Yep, I messed up the maze so bad that Clow had to use the Loop Card to get us directly to the kitchen for my snack."

"You mean like the one we captured earlier."

"That gives me a great idea!" Kero exclaimed, "We can skip the whole maze thing and be first in line for the buffet!"

"Don't you think about anything else but food?"

"Loop Card!" Li called out as he was striking it with his sword, "Bring us to the exit!" The Loop appeared and expanded to fill the space in front of them, making the space ahead of them a green hall that lead into the forest where Tomoyo was waiting with her video camera at the ready.

"Sakura!" She waved.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura exclaimed as she was rushing happily over to her friend, barely limping at all. "We were so worried about you!"

"Sakura! Seal it!" Syaoran shouted. She turned to see the maze morphing in an attempt to encapsulate them once more. She whipped out her wand and struck a large green wall.

"Return to your rightful form. Maze card!" Once the maze had transformed into a card, it floated over to Syaoran. "Something isn't right." Sakura said, "I can still sense a Clow Card."

"Whatever it is, it was following you when you were in the maze." Tomoyo said, "Once you left, I could see the maze and found my way out easily."

"It was like a mirage. We could never see the correct path to take."

"There's only one card that does something like that," Kero explained, "It must be The Illusion." Kero glanced around. "Tomoyo said it was following us. That means that it is probably still here somewhere. All we have to do is figure out where it is and we should be able to easily capture it."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Meiling said before suddenly falling to the ground unconscious.


	35. Drained

**CH35: Drained**

* * *

"Meiling!" Sakura shook the girl in an attempt to wake her.

"She'll be alright." Li said as he scanned the woods for the illusion card.

"But... She just fainted and won't wake up."

"Just give her time." Syaoran said, "She is out of energy. Once she has rested and eaten, she'll be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

* * *

Nine years earlier…

"Take the ball in your hand and focus your energy on it." Li Xian instructed. Syaoran and Meiling complied. The ball in Syaoran's hand began to glow brightly, but the one Meiling held remained dull stone.

"It's glowing." Syaoran announced. His break in concentration caused the glow to fade. Within a few minutes, he had figured out how to control the luminescence both in intensity and in hue.

"Very good, Xiao Lang." The elder said, "You have an excellent grasp of using your magic. Your power and control are excellent for your age." Meiling, however, had so far failed to produce even a single photon from her stone. She was squeezing it tightly with her eyes scrunched up and her face red from her attempt. "You don't seem to have any control whatsoever, perhaps it is too early for you." He directed towards Meiling.

"No! I can do it!" She concentrated even harder.

"Try this. If you are having trouble accessing your power, this should help." Li Xian said. He handed the young Meiling a medallion. On one side of the medallion was a golden sun and on the other was a silver moon. Meiling took the proffered object and clutched it tightly. It began to glow and the center of the medallion began to spin around. The stone in Meiling's hand began to glow brighter and brighter until it was blindingly strong, and then it went out as Meiling collapsed.

* * *

"It has happened before… Twice." Syaoran replied.

* * *

"Meiling! What are you doing?"

"Training." She replied seriously. She was holding the sun and moon medallion, causing the center of it to begin revolving.

"You shouldn't be using that. It's too dangerous."

"I can do it." Meiling said. She was holding up the ofuda of wind.

"But Xiao Fang…"

"Doesn't know how strong I really am." Meiling grinned, "I've been training every day; my magic's strong now. Just watch this."

"This isn't a good idea…"

"Wind!" Meiling summoned wind using the ofuda. "See, I'm fine." She drew out another ofuda. "Fire!" It blazed brightly with fire. "Lightning!" Nothing happened.

"Meiling, you don't look so good… You should stop." Her constant training had kept Meiling thin and light, but now she was even more so and had dark circles under her eyes.

"I've never… Felt… Better!" Meiling panted, "LIGHTNING!" A bolt arced out and struck a tree. Meiling dropped to her knees. "Maybe I am just a little tired…" Syaoran caught her before she could completely collapse.

"Baka!" He began dragging her back towards the house.

* * *

"She seems to be malnourished, possibly anorexic." The old man said, inspecting the unconscious girl. "Has she been eating properly?"

"She has." Yelan stated in a tone that indicated that there would be no more discussion of the cause of Meiling's condition.

"She needs food and rest." The doctor informed Yelan after he finished inspecting the unconscious girl. "I doubt she would pull through if she went on like this much longer." The man scribbled some unintelligible notes on a black pad labelled with the name Dr. Ling Kue. "For the next few weeks, you should have her take some energy supplements. Sugar water would be fine, but she may enjoy something a little more appealing to the palette."

* * *

"She didn't use much magic this time, so it shouldn't be as bad as it was last time. Hopefully she'll wake up soon on her own."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then, I'll have to call Okaa-san. I just hope it doesn't come to that. She is the reason that Li Xian has so little sway with the council. After that incident, she made sure that he was held back from any advancement. Before that time, he was actually next in line to be the head Elder. The incident resulted in Li Xiao Fang being chosen when the council leader stepped down two years after. He was so thoroughly humiliated that he never regained his standing with the other council members."

"If you are going to stick around and chat, at least you could search for the illusion card." Kero said.

"I'll stay with Meiling-chan and make sure nothing happens." Tomoyo offered.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"It will be fine." Tomoyo replied.

"You should keep Kero with you. It might be spooky if you are out here with no one to talk to."

"Arigatou." The raven-haired girl smiled.

"You ready?" Syaoran asked.

"Hai." Sakura replied. Syaoran already had his laizen board out and it was pointing back in the direction from which they had come.

They walked, following the board's light and followed it back into the depths of the woods where it just seemed to get spookier and spookier.

"Hoe..." Sakura complained as the sun's rays began dimming and making the darkness of the woods even more dark and menacing. An owl hooted, startling Sakura.

"Don't worry." Syaoran said as he took her hand, "were almost…"

"GHOST!" Sakura shrieked as a pair of glowing green eyes appeared. They were hovering mysteriously in the air before them.

"It's not a ghost." Syaoran said steadily, "It's the illusion card." If you seal it, it will go away." Translucent, glowing, green tentacles began slinking out of the shadows towards Sakura.

"I can't. It's too scary." Sakura now cowered behind Li like a small child. The ghostly image shimmered slightly and then began to recede into the forest.

"We have to go after it before it gets away."

"No!" Sakura shook her head violently and tried to run in the opposite direction. Li was still holding her hand, and despite her desire to run away, her fear made her clasp his hand back all the more strongly to the point that his fingers had begin to go purple.

"Sakura!" Li yanked on her arm. She was sent colliding roughly into him. "If you can't see it, it can't do anything to you. Just close your eyes and hold on to me."

"Hai…" She agreed tentatively.

Syaoran picked Sakura up and began to run in the direction the card had gone. "Just keep your eyes closed. When I tell you to, swing the sealing wand in the direction I'm running in." He veered to the right. "I can see it now… We're almost there." Sakura peeked at the apparition and screamed. She buried her face into Li's shoulder.

"Stop!" Sakura whimpered as she peeked and saw tentacles that narrowly missed touching her.

"No, we've got to capture it. Now!" Li ordered. Sakura swung the staff wildly in all directions. "Don't forget the spell."

"Return to the form you were meant to have! Clow Card!"

"You missed. Again!" Syaoran leapt into the air and Sakura swung the staff of sealing a second time, striking the centre of the illusion.

* * *

"Meiling!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing Li's cousin stirring as they returned, with The Illusion safely signed by Li. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just a little tired..." Meiling yawned, "and hungry." Meiling's stomach growled in agreement with this remark.

"The class was a bit worried about you when you fell behind." Miss Mizuki said, startling the four of them. "It's time for dinner. You should hurry up."

"Hai!" The girls responded. Syaoran merely grunted as Miss Mizuki walked the path towards the camp and beckoned for them to follow.

By the time they had gotten to the hot springs, the sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon. "I am going to find my cabin. I'm exhausted." Li said. He immediately headed off to search for his assigned cabin. The rest of them went to the main building to get to the buffet. It was just being opened for their group, now that the 'lost' members had been found.

* * *

"Sakura, you're a pig." Meiling said as she was staring at the pile of plates the girl had accumulated, "You might want to slow down a bit, I am not the only one who has noticed."

"It's not my fault," Sakura whined, "Kero just keeps eating. I have barely had a thing."

"Excuse me," The manager of the hot springs addressed the room, "I am sorry for the inconvenience, but it seems that the hot springs have dried up. If the problem has not rectified itself by morning, we will refund your money and send you home." Murmurs of disappointment echoed around the room.

"Do you think it's a 'you know what'?" Tomoyo asked hopefully.

"I don't know, I guess I can check it out tonight." Sakura said.

"Then I have the perfect outfit for you!"

* * *

That evening, the girls left their cabin, stopping at Li's cabin so that he could come to investigate the possible Clow Card as well.

"This is Li's cabin." Meiling whispered. The girls peeked in through the window.

"His bed is empty." Tomoyo said.

"Maybe he already there." Sakura suggested.


	36. All Wet

**CH36: All Wet**

* * *

"There he is!" Sakura announced as she noticed the lone figure standing rigidly beside one of the hot springs. Syaoran turned to face them.

"LOOK OUT!" He shouted, with a look of abject despair as his sword was caught in his collar as he tried to draw it. Sakura turned her head. Things almost seemed to move in slow motion as she caught site of the spears of liquid rushing at her much too fast for her to avoid. She closed her eyes and screamed in fear. Then there was a loud crack and her hair stood on end. Next, she noticed the incredible heat and then the light mist raining down upon her. She opened her eyes. All around her, it was raining, despite the fact that there was not a cloud in the sky, as could be seen by the full moon which hung brightly over their heads.

"What was that?" Sakura asked. She was bowled over by a mass of brown fur, saving her from a spear of water that launched itself from directly below her. Syaoran almost immediately tackled Tomoyo, saving her from a similar fate. All the water began to gather into one puddle. Out of this puddle shot the figure of a young girl who immediately launched another spear of water at Syaoran and Tomoyo.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed as he threw himself in front of the liquid assault. He cried out in pain as the watery barrage struck him directly and sent him flying off into some tall grass. Sakura rushed towards where the boy had fallen while the wolf launched a barrage of lightning at the creature in order to distract it. "He's gone…" Sakura couldn't find Syaoran where she had seen him fall.

There was no time to search, Xiao Lang was fighting the card and it was distracted. "Fly!" She zipped up over the battle and dropped straight down above the card. "Return to the form you were meant to have." It didn't have time to dodge the swing of her sealing wand as it struck the creature right between the eyes. It splashed to the ground and a card began to appear, sucking up all the water into it. Before it completed, it stopped. A small fraction of it still unsubstantiated. Then, the formed card degenerated, releasing the water to attack her again.

"What happened? Why didn't it seal?"

"You must have missed a piece of it," Kero explained as she ran to dodge the projectiles that were once again being launched at her by the water creature. "You have to capture the whole thing, but since watery is so formless, it's easy for it to be split into multiple parts as you are trying to seal it."

"Wood!" A barrier of wood rose up, blocking a barrage of water that was too difficult to dodge. Though the main barrage was blocked, a fine mist sprayed through the cracks, totally soaking Sakura and Kero.

"You will have to contain it somehow," Kero shook off the water vigorously.

"But it's water. How can I contain it? It can slip through any cracks." As if to prove her point, a jet of water broke through the wooden barrier and narrowly missed her.

She took off at a run. "DASH!" She zipped around the elemental spirit, dodging its attacks with her enhanced speed. She passed by Xiao Lang. Despite a stream of water barrelling towards him, he did not make a move to avoid it. Sakura skidded to a stop.

"Xiao Lang! Watch out…" Her warning was unnecessary. The watery was frozen solid; a stunning ice sculpture in mid attack. "Hoe… What happened?!"

"Sakura! Seal it." Kero ordered.

"Watery, return to the form you're meant to have!" This time it sealed without problems. Sakura signed the card.

"Where did Syaoran go?" Tomoyo asked.

"Xiao Lang, do you know where Syaoran is? When he was hit by the water, he disappeared." They stood silently for a moment. "Help me look for him, please."

* * *

Sakura, Tomoyo, Kero, and Xiao Lang searched for Syaoran together, starting at the point where Sakura thought he had landed. After a few hours, he still could not be found and the horizon was beginning to get brighter.

"I wonder where he is," Tomoyo said.

"He's probably fine," Kero said. "He probably just went to bed and wants you to worry about him so you will be 'extra-grateful' the next time you see him."

"Not likely," Sakura huffed. "If he did, he's going to be sorry."

"And I'll have a Sakura's Kawaii Revenge video!" Tomoyo added.

"The sun is about to rise," Sakura pointed out. "Doesn't that mean you are about to change back?" Sakura remembered that after fighting the rain and the storm, when the sun had risen, he had transformed. He also always seemed to run away when sunrise came.

The wolf looked at the horizon in shock, it had obviously lost track of time.

"Don't run this time; just let me see who you are."

The wolf looked at her for a moment, as if considering her request, then took off at a run. Sakura began to chase after it.

"Wait!" She panted, as she began to fall behind. For the second time that night, she activated the dash card, this time to catch up with her lupine friend. He in turn sped up, though it soon became apparent he was not going to lose her. He turned sharply and headed towards the cabins, and Sakura followed, determined to find out once and for all who the mysterious wolf was. She ignored her surroundings and her vision tunnelled as she focused on her target. Suddenly, the wolf leapt to the side and through an open window.

Sakura paused, only for the briefest amount of time in order to realize that she should probably use the door. She then quickly located the door, which was conveniently beside the window the wolf had entered through, and burst into the cabin. She was rather shocked and embarrassed at the discovery. Inside was in fact the shower building... for the boys. Most of the boys were not awake yet, but one was, and he was not alone.

"Sakura!" Chiharu exclaimed as she wrapped a towel around her bare chest and stepped in front of Yamazaki who was wearing nothing at all.

"Hoe!" Sakura turned bright red and turned around. "Gomennasai!" She apologized. "I didn't realize that…"

"You didn't make plans to meet Li here, did you?" Yamazaki asked cheekily.

"Why would I do that?" Sakura asked, genuinely oblivious to what Yamazaki was referring to.

"Did you know that it has long been a tradition for couples to bathe together?" Yamazaki began, "It all started fifteen hundred years ago when a peasant kept coming home to his wife completely covered in mud and grime. He didn't mind being dirty, but his wife wanted to keep the house clean so she would take him to the wash tub and scrub him herself."

"Really?"

"Yes, and one day the Emperor's carriage broke down outside the couples house. When the Emperor came in to ask for assistance, he found her washing her husband. When he asked why, she… OOF!" Yamazaki grabbed his gut where Chiharu's elbow had impacted.

"She told Yamazaki to stop telling lies if he doesn't want to spend his wedding night on the couch."

"He was lying?" Sakura asked, still completely gullible to Yamazaki's stories. "Anyway, did you see a big dog come through here?"

"No…" Chiharu answered. "Nothing like that has come through here. As least it hasn't for a few minutes."

"Umm, then I'll… um… I will just leave now." She exited the building hastily and found Syaoran coming towards her. "Syaoran!" She exclaimed. "We looked everywhere for you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He said. "Just a little bruised." He lifted up his shirt to reveal a huge yellowish, red and black bruise in the center of his chest.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked. She was completely forgetting about the wolf that had disappeared. "That looks really bad."

"It doesn't hurt too badly," Syaoran said. He let his shirt drop again. "I thought I'd take a shower though. I am all sweaty and the hot water will loosen up my muscles a bit."

"Umm, you may want to wait a few minutes… The showers are occupied."

"It's only half past five. There can't be too many people in there."

"There are only two, actually, Yamazaki and Chiharu." Li's eyes widened a moment at the comment.

"How did you end up going into the boy's showers anyway?" He asked. He was wearing a grin similar to the one Yamazaki had given her earlier.

"It was an accident. I was chasing the wolf to find out who he is, but then it jumped through a window. When I went in, it turned out to be the boys' showers."

"Really? But this building has no windows," Syaoran pointed out.

"I am sure I went into the same building," Sakura insisted. She was completely confused because what Li had said was right. There were no windows on the building at all. "Forget about what I was doing. What were you doing? You've been missing ever since you got hit by that attack from the Watery Card."

"I guess having the wind knocked out of me so badly left me a little disoriented." he explained. "I must have wandered off and got lost. It took me this long to get back."

Sakura stared at him critically. His story made sense, but she was sure that she would have found him when they were searching. As she pondered the events of the night, the door opened behind her and knocked her off the step leading into the building and on top of Syaoran. Yamazaki and Chiharu exited the shower building to see what looked like Sakura leaping eagerly into her fiancée's arms.

"It's all yours." Yamazaki winked.

"Don't worry, it'll be our little secret," Chiharu said with a smile. Both Sakura and Syaoran turned completely red.

* * *

Later that morning, the buffet was opened for breakfast. The students came in and began to eat pancakes, waffles, French toast, fruit, oatmeal, and sausages with their choices of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, various jams, fruit toppings, and maple syrup. Kero, however, had unwittingly fallen asleep in Sakura's suitcase and had not awoken – a fact that he would later complain a great deal about. A representative of the resort showed up mid meal and told them that the problem with the hot springs had seemingly fixed itself and that while the levels were still a little low at that time, they should be ready for use that afternoon.


	37. Bubble BAth

**CH37: Bubble Bath**

* * *

After breakfast, the students were given an hour of free time to wash up and get the things they would need for the rest of the morning when they would be given a tour of the facilities and a lecture on the history of the hot springs. Of course, at the mention of the history of the hot springs, Yamazaki had to quickly be silenced by Chiharu as he began a story about the mystical healing properties of hot springs. They were led about the grounds. Unlike the previous day where they had only been shown the necessities, this day they were shown all the facilities. In reality, there was not just one set of hot springs, but several in small groups around the area.

The main set of hot springs was right at the edge of the main facilities and formed a rough semi-circle around where Sakura had captured the watery card. They were a group of eight pools. Each was about twelve feet in diameter. These pools were unisex and out in the open. Because of this, the rules required that bathing suits be worn in their vicinity.

The second set of hot springs they were shown were behind the main lodge and were fenced off into male and female. Each consisted of a single large pool that was actually large enough to swim in. They were told that these two were once the private baths of a prince and his women. One had been for the women and the other for the prince himself. It was said that any woman who was invited to bathe with him was never seen again, but there was no indication of where they went. Some suspected that the prince had killed the women after satisfying his own carnal desires. Others said he was a wizard who used them for dark rituals. The most common theory, however, was that once the prince had had his way with the women and if he was pleased he would send them to the castle, and if not, he would send them home quietly under threat of death.

Another building contained several individual sized hot springs with milky-white water that had a sulphurous smell. They were told that, as Yamazaki had earlier stated, these hot springs were in fact supposed to be good for your health. The reasons had more to do with the rich mineral content of the water than any magical properties, or at least that's what the guide said. Sakura was sure that there was something different about this one. It felt strange. She sensed a Clow Card. She looked to Li.

"I sense it too." He whispered to her. It surprised Sakura since she had believed he had not been paying attention to her, certainly not enough to notice a single glance.

There were also several small groups of hot springs out in the surrounding forests for those who wanted a more natural setting, or more privacy for their bath. They were shown the beginning of several paths that had the names of hot springs written on them as well as a indication of their usual temperature and mineral content.

"Whats this one?" Naoko asked. She pointed to a path that was not on the map, but was clearly well used and had a sign that said 'Jusenkyo'.

"That one is off limits." The guide told them. "For hundreds of years, the Jusenkyo hot springs have attracted martial artists from around the world for training, but none of them ever come back the same. It's much too dangerous there for anyone. It's said that ever single spring there is cursed." He looked very serious and foreboding as he said this. "There is a keeper of the Jusenkyo hot springs. Anyone caught sneaking off there will be sent home at their parent's expense. No exceptions."

* * *

By the end of the tour, they were all ready for lunch, and as usual, the buffet style meal did not disappoint. Kero, having missed breakfast, was found sitting limply, pretending to be a doll, in the middle of the table Sakura had eaten at the previous night. Under him, Sakura found a note warning her that she would regret it if she ever forgot to bring him to another meal, though not half as much as he would.

* * *

Sakura felt a little embarrassed. When Syaoran had invited her to join him in for the afternoon in the hot springs, she had assumed that Tomoyo and Meiling would also be coming along. It turned out that he had only asked her. He had not only done that, but also told her that there was a hot spring that they had not been shown on the tour and he wanted to go there. He led her out past the main set of hot springs where Tomoyo and Meiling were talking to Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika, and into the forest.

After they were out of sight and sound of the group, Syaoran stopped in a small clearing.

"What are we doing here?" Sakura asked. She was a little afraid of what his intentions were.

"Nothing special." He replied as he began to disrobe. Sakura whipped around so she was facing away from him and covered her eyes, letting out a nervous squeak. "Something wrong?" He asked.

"Of course there is… not." He had been wearing his swimming trunks under his pants. Based on the fact that they were just a plain dark green with "Li" monogrammed on them in a muddy brown, it was surely not a pair he had acquired from Tomoyo. She then blushed nervously as she considered the fact that her own, a much fancier pink and silver, Tomoyo-made swimsuit was still in the bag which was hanging from her arm.

"If this doesn't work, I know there's a hot spring about two-hundred metres that way." Li pointed out before taking the sword from around his neck and making it grow to its full size. "Erase!" A semi-sphere of dirt slowly faded from view in front of him. "Loop!" Water began to pour into the hole, quickly filling the pool.

"You created a new hotspring!" Sakura exclaimed, "Where's the water coming from?"

"From the best springs in the whole place of course. Nothing but the best for us." He waited a moment expectantly, "Are you going try it?"

"Hai." They stood there for a few moments. "Can you turn around please?" Syaoran complied, Sakura turned so that their backs were now facing each other, so that he wouldn't get to see very much, even if he turned around while she was changing. Sakura felt very exposed as she was changing outside and couldn't help but feel that someone was watching. She suspected it was Syaoran, but he still seemed to have his back to her and as an additional measure had his hands over his eyes. Sakura shrugged off the odd feeling she was getting and said, "I'm ready."

Syaoran turned, uncovering his eyes. Sakura noticed that his eyes flitted down and up again. It was almost too quick to be noticed. She felt a little embarrassed. Tomoyo had brought several swimsuits for her to use on the trip, but this had been her favourite, though it was much more revealing than any she had warn before. It was a two-piece, and she had never worn one before that day, instead opting, at her brother's request, for choices of the more modest sort. Sakura crossed her arms to cover up a bit.

"You look nice." Syaoran said.

"And you need a wider vocabulary." Sakura said as she shoved him backwards. He stepped back in order to maintain his balance. Instead of finding solid ground, he felt the chunk of soil his foot landed on slip downwards into the steaming, water-filled basin. His arms flailed in wide arcs as he began to fall. Sakura giggled at the sight, only to find a strong hand grabbing her wrist and yanking her forwards. The two of them both fell into the water. The water was hot, but not too much so, and the size of the basin, and the water, falling from the sky through the loop card, created the perfect environment for a water fight.

Sakura's smaller size and greater flexibility allowed her to escape from Syaoran when he caught her, but his greater strength eventually won out and he pinned her against the side of the pool, holding one of her wrists in each of his hands.

"You can't escape now." He gasped as he regained his breath from the difficult battle.

"So! What are you gonna do?" She gasped back, equally exhausted. Syaoran didn't answer, instead he just kept up his panting for breath. As his breathing got shallower and more regular, his face drew closer to hers. Her breathing quickened as his lips came a fraction of an inch from hers. Out of nowhere, a pot came flying, striking Syaoran in the face.

"Baka! This is your fault!" A girl's voice rang out from the forest. From the same direction, came a loud crash as a panda burst out of the bushes, using Li's head to springboard over the rest of the water. Soon after a red haired girl followed, mimicking the movement, before kicking the panda in the back and disappearing into the forest.

"What was that?" Sakura asked. She was utterly confused by the randomness of the event.

"Uggh!" a dazed Syaoran groaned. His face was imprinted with both footprints, and a mark from the pan.

"Shouldn't we see if he's alright?"

"Shh! If he's not, Sakura will have to give him mouth to mouth. That's almost as good!"

"For your information, He's fine!" Sakura yelled at the bush which had emitted the voices of Meiling and Tomoyo. This statement was almost immediately followed by a splash as Sakura's movements knocked Syaoran backwards into the pool of water. "HOEE!" Sakura exclaimed as she noticed that Syaoran was not moving as he sunk into the milky water. "Syaoran!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the surface of the water. Tomoyo and Meiling, seeing that something was actually wrong, rushed out of their hiding space and helped Sakura to drag him out of the pool.

"Is he going to be okay?" Tomoyo asked.

"He's not breathing!" Meiling exclaimed hysterically.

"HOEEE!" Sakura leaned over Syaoran and felt for his breath. He really wasn't breathing. "Do either of you know mouth-to-mouth?" The other two shook their heads in denial. Sakura sighed. She pinched his nose with one hand and tilted his chin back with the other to make sure his airway was clear. She took a deep breath and leaned over his face. Unexpectedly, he rose up to meet her, bringing their lips together in a kiss. Sakura's world stopped for a moment. It was the first real kiss she had ever had. Despite the fact that she knew she should be angry at him for tricking her and for taking advantage of her gullibility, instead of pulling away, she just sat there as Syaoran wrapped her in his arms and sat her up, never breaking lip contact. Her eyes drifted closed and she smelled that familiar comforting scent of him. She felt so safe in his arms, and so warm. The combinations of feelings were intoxicating. The combination of invigoration and complete calm consumed her entire body until the point she could hold her breath no longer and he ended the kiss.

She opened her eyes. So close to her were the other pair of eyes. They were staring back at her with a look of contentment and softness like that which she'd never seen before.

"Sakura…"

She had nothing to say. It had been an experience so fulfilling, so right, so… planned. Her look of stunned contentment switched quickly to one of rage. "Tomoyo! You planned all this, didn't you?!"

"Of course not." She replied, "We didn't anticipate the panda. Ever since that point he was improvising."

"Panda…" As much as she had seen the event, the statement was so absurd that she once again sat speechless. Her mouth was opening and closing but no words coming out.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo was focused on something other than the scene she had intended to film, "What's that?" Instead of water, torrents of bubbled were now flowing from the loop card.

"It's the bubble card." Li explained, "It's mostly harmless. That must be what we sensed earlier in the bathhouse for the healing springs." Sakura pulled away from Syaoran, who had not yet let go of her, and rummaged through her bag for her sealing wand. Once found, having been at the very bottom, it was a simple task to capture the bubble card because it put up no resistance at all.


	38. While You Were Sleeping

**CH38: While You Were Sleeping**

* * *

Over the next four days, the student's learned about the science and history behind the hot springs in the mornings and 'applied' what they had learned in the afternoons. Sakura made sure to spend her time with Tomoyo and kept to the more common hot springs.

As nice as it had felt sitting wrapped in Syaoran's arms locked into a kiss, being with him now just felt awkward and embarrassing. By the end of the week, she had even begun to feel a little resentful of him. She was surprised that the wolf had not made another appearance after the kiss. He usually came around at times like that to comfort and to encourage her. Perhaps he didn't know about the emotional struggle she was going through, or perhaps he didn't really care in this case. Li had said that the wolf was already in love with someone, but Sakura wondered who it could be.

Maybe it was Yamazaki. When she had chased the wolf, she had found him inside the building without clothes. Perhaps he had lost them when he had transformed and Chiharu knew and was covering for him. It did make sense. He and Li were sort of friends. They might have a close enough relationship that they may talk to each other as was needed, and he was obviously with Chiharu. Sakura might have even confronted him at some point in the week if the one detail had not fit. Where did the window go? Or, where did it come from?

Sakura pondered the question as she sat alone in the healing springs. Her mind was relaxed, but her mind was buzzing. If Li knew then Meiling knew as well, and she had said as much. She closed her eyes and leaned against the side and sighed. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to relax. She could just sit there and let her troubles melt away in the nice healing waters that were so… cool? She opened her eyes. This wasn't the hot springs!

Above her rose the steel, concrete, and glass of an empty and abandoned warehouse. She was lying on the floor, cold and naked in ankle-deep waters that seemed to drip steadily from the rafters. Sakura stood up. She was shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to keep warm.

"Water must flow," a familiar voice echoed. It was the voice from her dreams. Was she asleep? She didn't remember falling asleep. She took a step. The water moved under her feet, almost tripping her up. The current was strong, very strong. She almost fell as it tugged at her. It ebbed and pulled. It was almost like it was beckoning her to follow, and follow she did. It led her to a door.

When opened, it revealed a shaft, vertical, as far up and down as she could see. Light came from the top, but it was obscured or indirect, leaving the only real light that that came from behind her and an eerie blue glow that emanated from below through the water that matched levels with that in the warehouse.

"It must flow. The water always must flow." She stepped forward into the shaft. Her foot came to rest on an invisible barrier that was just below the surface of the water. Shadows moved beneath the surface as she reached the center of the shaft. The shadows slowly coalesced into white bands which she recognized from previous dreams. They exited the depths and swirled tantalizingly before her. Sakura reached forward hesitantly. The bands did not pull back, nor acknowledge her presence in any way. They were just inches from her fingers. She could touch them if she wanted to. The white cloth zipped so close to her hand that she shied away thinking that it had almost seemed to have sensed her thoughts. It didn't matter. It was just the band's seemingly random movement as it stretched upwards out of the water towards some unseen goal.

This time, Sakura reached out with purpose and caught the ribbon of white cloth. The end stiffened as if it was in shock that something had touched it. Then, it rapidly coiled around the arm that had grabbed it. It wrapped so tightly that it was painful. The other band wrapped her from the ankles to the chest. She couldn't move… Sakura couldn't even breathe.

With a sharp tug, Sakura was pulled beneath the surface of the water. Small lights zipped by her so fast that she could not see what they were. When she stopped, she was in a large chamber. The bands emanated from a woman in the center. Partial pillars rose from the water, giving the place an eerie magnificence. Sakura tried to speak, but the bands that were holding her were too tight. The woman turned towards her and she heard a voice say, "I've been waiting for you…"

* * *

"Sakura!" Syaoran sat upright in his own hot spring. He knew that Sakura was in the next stall, but something had changed. Her bright pink aura had flared almost to the point of drowning out all others, and then, just as quickly, had almost disappeared completely as an eerie dark aura emanated from the stall. Syaoran knocked on the bamboo barrier that separated them. "Sakura!" There was no answer. His talisman hung a few feet away on a hook above a bamboo seat that matched the walls. He grabbed it and transformed it into his sword.

Syaoran dove under the water. The sulphurous liquid burned his eyes, but he didn't care. There was a small space under the separator. He might be able to slip under it. He could see the outline of Sakura's form lying on the other side of the barrier. She was right on the bottom. That wasn't right. Everyone is buoyant to some degree, but she was flat on the ground as if something was holding her down. Syaoran wriggled under the barrier. It was tight. Even when he let out his breath, he got stuck for a minute. His chest scraped painfully against the rough stone bottom as his back scraped and splintered the bottoms the bamboo poles that made up the wall.

From this position, he saw that Sakura was not just on the ground, but slipping through it as if there were a portal on the floor. He scrambled even harder to get through the opening. When it seemed as if he would drown as well, something shifted. Perhaps one of the bindings holding the wall had snapped. He didn't care what it was. It gave him the freedom of movement to finally slip through. He grabbed her wrist and pulled. Her arm moved, barely. He noticed that despite the almost boiling temperatures of the water, her body was cold. She was shivering and her breath was slowly slipping away as a stream of bubbles drifted from her mouth.

Syaoran could not hold his breath any longer. He pushed up to the surface and took a few large breaths before diving back under where he plugged Sakura's nose and breathed into her mouth. After taking another few breaths and delivering them to her, he squatted over her and worked his hands under her back and through whatever hole she was falling through. Once he had a good grip, he heaved with all of his might, slowly pulling her out of whatever was pulling her in.

The harder he pulled, however, the harder it was to pull. He felt her chest constricting under some invisible restraint as the air was squeezed from her lungs. He released her with one hand and picked up his sword. He slid the sword under her body until something blocked its path. He slid his sword across the barrier, slicing through it. Something dissolved under his hand that was holding Sakura. Then, her chest expanded. Her body began to convulse as it tried to get air when there was nothing but water. Syaoran, as quickly as he could, lifted her from the water and placed her on the floor.

Sakura's body wasn't convulsing anymore. It wasn't moving at all. "Sakura…" He pressed on her chest to force the water out of her lungs and then began to breathe into her, hoping that she would be okay.

* * *

Syaoran sat in the hospital room. He remembered it so well from his many previous visits, though usually he was the one lying under the crisp white sheets. She had been like this for two days. The doctors said she wasn't in a coma, but didn't know how to wake her up. His cell phone beeped. It was the elders. He had asked for a meeting with them while his mother was not with them. It was time. She had gone off to visit some other Li Corp holding and would not know what he was about to do. As he prepared to leave, his cell phone rang again.

"Li… You found them?... Ok… I'll do it." He closed the phone. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Syaoran stood at the entrance to the council chambers. He was nervous. He had never asked the council for anything before; his mother had always done so on his behalf. This time he did not want her interference, especially since she would never agree to what he was about to do. It seemed like an eternity that he stood there. There was nothing to do but wait and consider what he would say.

A gong sounded. They were ready for him. As he stepped forwards, the doors opened automatically. Beyond the doors was a long hall with alternating green and red banners bearing the Li insignia that hung between pillars of mystical energy. Surely it was only meant to impose a sense of humility upon whoever was addressing the council, and surely there was a shorter path, or else the old men would probably have all had heart attacks while attempting to make the trip. After a few minutes of walking, Syaoran reached the council chamber. In the center of the room was a pit where a fire burned. On the opposite side of the pit was an ornate chair, which he would one day occupy. Encircling the room were two rows of cushioned benches where the elders sat, the most prominent in the front and next to the ornate chair. His mother, had she been there, would have been standing slightly behind the chair and to the left.

Syaoran stepped before the fire. It flared brightly as he approached it, and then reduced to nothing but glowing embers. He got down on one knee and gave a slight bow towards the throne as procedure directed. Had he not been a member of the clan, a full prostrate bow would have been required.

"Rise," Xiao Fang instructed. "State your name."

"Li Xiao Lang" He replied.

"You have come to us, requesting that the regent of the heir not be present. Why have you requested this?"

"The regent has a personal interest in the subject, thus would surely be biased in her judgement."

"On what matter do you come before us?"

"The marriage contract between Li Xiao Lang and Kinomoto Sakura." Syaoran felt the stares of the elder of the elders, and heard the whispers of the less disciplined of them.

"The contact is final, this issue was settled," Li Yu Kai said. "It has already been made clear to you. You must be married for you attain leadership. Due to the obvious reasons, it must be to her. You will marry her."

"I do not wish to propose an end of the contract, merely an amendment that could have future benefit to the clan." The fire flared up briefly with blue flames. This caused even more murmurs. Sakura's family was not important in the grand scheme of things. It was difficult to imagine how an amendment could improve the futures of the Li clan.

"You are concealing something," You Kai growled, "Explain yourself."

"It is true, while the amendment will benefit the clan, it is not the reason I wish to make the amendment." This time the fire did not react. "I am proposing this amendment for personal reasons."

"Explain your request," Xiao fang said, giving You Kai a look that indicated he should be silent.

"The amendment is that the marriage will only proceed, if Sakura wishes it…"

"Never!" You Kai interjected.

"How will this amendment be beneficial to the clan?" Li Han You asked. Several council members murmured, obviously not seeing the connection.

"Sakura wants to choose her destiny, not have it laid out by others. Giving her this choice will make her feel loyal to the clan, rather than subjugated by it. As the wife of the clan leader, this will influence her decisions and cause her to make decisions that benefit the clan rather than herself after the marriage."

"While there is truth to what you say, the risks are still too great," Xiao Fang responded. "In the current arrangement, she will join the clan, bringing the power of the cards and her substantial magical powers with her. If she chooses to not proceed with the marriage, we would lose much and gain nothing," Xiao Fang said.

"It is probably just another ploy to break the engagement," You Kai said. "He has tried before."

"I didn't say I didn't want to marry her!" Syaoran said, glaring at You Kai, whose aggressiveness had gotten him in trouble with the council before. "I just don't want her to be obligated to marry me because of a contract. She must choose to do it, even if her failure to do so prevents me from becoming the leader of the clan."

"Do you understand what you are saying?" Li Xiao Fang asked.

"I do, and I know the consequences."

"We must discuss this," Li Xiao Fang said. "We will inform you of our decision when we arrive at it."

"Arigatou, Li-sama," Syaoran replied before backing out of the chamber. It was risky. He knew that, however, he was sure that at least his offer to stand down would give them the incentive to amend the contract. His mother would be furious when she found out.

* * *

Syaoran looked at Sakura. She still slept peacefully. The nurses had changed her while he had been out. They had even gone so far as to comb her hair. She now wore some simple, pink, silk pyjamas. He thought the colour really suited her, which was a good thing since it was her favourite colour.

He thought back to before the trip. He had been given so many opportunities to say things like that to her, but all he could say at the time was that she looked nice. He cursed himself for being such an idiot. His mother had given him another task to do, but he really did not want to leave again. What if she woke up? He had to be there when it happened. He didn't know why he had to stay, but he felt that he should. Perhaps it was just another effect that she had on him.

He touched her face, thinking about fairy tales; about how the princess would be awoken from her magical sleep with a kiss from her prince. It was almost too tempting for him not to try. He remembered the sweet taste of her lips and the warmth he felt as her body had rested against his. Now, she looked so beautiful with the afternoon sun shining through the window upon her. Her brown forelocks shone golden in the light, making her look like a sleeping angel, while her miniature pigtails and blue butterfly hairclip seemed to make her exude pure innocence. His hand traveled across her cheek until it brushed aside the hair that framed it. It was worth a shot, wasn't it? He leaned forward over the rail of the bed. The strawberry scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils, as he got closer and closer. His breathing slowed as he came within an inch of her lips. Her eyes were fluttering. She was dreaming. He wondered what she dreamt about. Her dream…

His eyes shifted from the visage of the girl, to the butterfly upon her head. It wasn't a hair-clip, was it? Did it move? He couldn't believe he was such an idiot. He had been so worried about Sakura that he hadn't even noticed the Clow Card. Quietly, he activated his sword. He stabbed the magical creature and pinned it against the wall with his sword. The thrust had been swift and accurate the thrust had been that not a single one of her hairs had moved from its place.

"Syao…" Sakura mumbled as her emerald eyes blinked the fog of sleep from her head. "Syaoran…. Clow Card?" She asked, still half asleep. Syaoran grunted affirmatively. She rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes with her sleeve and called out the staff of sealing. "Return to the form you were meant to have." The butterfly transformed into a card and floated over to Syaoran.

"How are you feeling?" Syaoran asked.

"A little stiff," She answered. She stretched, and then winced in pain. "What happened to me?"

Syaoran gently took her arm and pulled back the sleeve to reveal bands of the yellow bruise that wrapped it. "There are more bruises on your chest." Syaoran blushed, as he was recalling his hot spring rescue of the unconscious girl. At the time, he hadn't even thought about the fact that they had been naked because he had been so worried about her. "Something happened, and I found you unconscious under the water," He explained. "Something had taken hold of you. It wasn't the card. It doesn't have that type of ability.

"It was a woman, in my dream," Sakura said. "She said she had been waiting a long time for me," Sakura explained. She was about to explain more when Syaoran's phone rang.

"Hai, Okaa-san..." He responded after Li Yelan's voice rang out angrily. It was loud enough that Sakura could hear but she could not understand what the woman was yelling. "I did… No… I know… I understand... Gomen… I had to; it was the only way…" Li hung up before his mother could yell any more at him.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked.

"You're free," Syaoran replied.

"Free?" Sakura asked, uncertain as to what he meant by it.

"I convinced the elders to change the contract. You don't have to marry me if you don't want to."

Sakura was stunned. He had tried before to end the engagement, as had she. Neither Yelan, nor her father, nor the elders had listened. "What did you give up?"

"Nothing important," He replied, thinking of how happy his cousin Li Xeng would be when he heard the news that he had a chance at an even higher position than he currently occupied. Had it not been for his age, Xeng would have been on the council of elders, but as it was, he was effectively the acting president of Li Corp despite the fact that he was only nineteen. The position would be officiated when he was of a respectable age, unless Syaoran failed, then he would most likely be the one to take on the mantle of clan leadership.

"You tried everything before," Sakura said. "That means that you must have given up something that you weren't able to give up before."

"Maybe I thought of a new strategy and didn't give up anything," Syaoran countered. "Or maybe what I gave up is not as important to me as it was back then."

"It was that big…" Sakura whispered. "You are afraid that if you tell me that I would feel obligated into marrying you."

Syaoran was amazed. Usually Sakura was such a naïve girl; after all, she was always being taken in by Yamazaki's stories. But then, he was as well. Was he that transparent? "I promise, I have not, and I will not give up anything."

"Not even me?" She challenged.

"Especially you," He replied smoothly, making Sakura blush. He could be so charming when he wasn't being an ass. "Now heal up those bruises, because Okaa-san has asked me to do something, but I think that you should be there too."


	39. I Am The Wolf

**CH39: I Am The Wolf!**

* * *

Li had brought Sakura a professional-looking jacket and skirt just after dinner. This look, however, was deceptive.

The freedom of movement it allowed, as well as the sensible shoe choice indicated that the outfit was not for merely talking business. Its superior design qualities implied that it was in fact an original of Tomoyo's design.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked. They couldn't have been going too far, considering that Li had opted to walk from the hospital, rather than have Wei drive them. Sakura was surprised that Tomoyo had not come to film whatever was happening herself. Tomoyo, meanwhile, was performing at some recital, but had insisted that Sakura do whatever was needed with Li. Sakura understood why Tomoyo had not blown off her singing engagement when she noticed the little yellow animal with a camera floating above the rooftops.

"We're going to collect a debt," Syaoran replied vaguely.

"What debt?" Sakura asked.

"A large one… that you are owed."

"You can't mean… Haven't I taken enough from them already?" Sakura asked as Li lead her towards a warehouse where the clan had detected members of the Rusaki family. Sakura looked around. This wasn't the type of neighbourhood you wanted to be in after dark, and the heavy cloud cover only made it darker.

"You deserve what you were supposed to get. They agreed to the terms," Li said. "Besides, this is about more than you. We must protect the interests of the clan." Li turned the handle on the side door of the warehouse. It was unlocked.

They entered the dark, cavernous building. At first, it seemed like no one was there, but suddenly they heard the clicking of claws against the concrete floor. "Fire, illuminate." Syaoran's ofuda of fire created a small flame that revealed the creature before them. It was a wolf… Its brown fur was bristling as its eyes shone amber in the illumination of the flame.

"Xiao Lang…" Sakura gasped. "What are you doing here?" She was equally surprised when Li stepped protectively in front of her and drew his sword. "Syaoran, what are you…"

The wolf began to writhe in pain, howling as his body began to change. "Yooow… grrran't…. You… Won't!" The transforming mouth stuttered. "You can't control me anymore, Li!" The wolf's face slowly began to resolve into one that was familiar to Sakura. One that had haunted her dreams… her nightmares.

"Rusaki-kun!" Sakura gasped. The naked boy shivered in the foetal position on the ground as the last of his fur dissolved. The transformation had obviously been quite painful.

"I was beginning to think…" Sakura began before reconsidering what she was about to say, "But, how is this possible? You were dead, I saw your body."

"Believe me, it wasn't fun," Rusaki Numaru growled. "The whole thing was a fake. They used magic to control me." He spat at the ground in Li's general direction.

"He's lying," Li said.

"Did you know, those Li bastards actually tried to make me kill you?" he said darkly, "They tried to force me to finish you off in the fight. That's when I learned I could resist them, though, until now, I have not been able to fully break free of their control."

"As long as the barrier was up, nothing could have interfered. Even if what you said about yourself was true, no one could have influenced you during the fight."

"Is that what you believe, or just what you want her to believe?" Rusaki's eyes burned with rage. "When I started resisting, and started losing, they stopped my heart. Because I was resisting, it was too dangerous for them. If you won, and you found out their plans, you would have resisted like I did… and with your powers, maybe even stopped them."

"They wouldn't do that…" Sakura said, not entirely believing herself.

"And they didn't," Li reassured her.

"How can you stand lying to her all the time?"

"I may hide some things, but I have never lied… to her," Syaoran countered with a death glare that usually made most people back off.

"You lied to her about me!" Rusaki countered, apparently not intimidated by Syaoran's glare.

"Except for irrelevant details, I told her everything I knew about you."

"But you knew who the wolf was…" Sakura said softly, as the warm feeling she usually got when Syaoran protected her began to drain away, leaving her cold, empty and confused.

"And it's not him," Syaoran replied, "I will even let you borrow The Libra to prove it if you promise not to ask who it really is."

"Don't listen to his lies, Sakura. He wanted you dead as well," Rusaki begged, "All he wants is the cards, and he is willing to do anything to get them."

"You're right," Syaoran said, "I did only care about the cards. I thought it was my destiny to control them."

"You're admitting it?" Rusaki seemed a little shocked at this pronouncement. Sakura could remember how he had treated her before they had started capturing the cards. "But that's not true anymore."

"What are you saying…"

"Sakura…Please, believe me."

"Li-kun… I am not sure I can," She replied, looking down guiltily, "Everything he is saying makes so much sense."

"Stop manipulating her!" Rusaki growled, "You may be able to turn me into a stinking animal when I'm not useful, but I won't let you control anyone else!"

"If you believe nothing else I say tonight, then please at least believe me when I say this…" Syaoran said, lifting her chin so she was looking him right in the eyes, "Aishiteru…"

"Hoe?" Sakura squeaked, taken aback by his pronouncement, "Syaoran…"

"Stop playing with her feelings!" Rusaki's punch caught Syaoran completely off guard as it rocked the side of his head.

"Syaoran!"

"Don't listen to his lies," Syaoran's attacker said, "Just know…" Rusaki grunted, clutching his sides, "I… Have to go…" His features were slowly shifting, "I care about you too much to let them do this to you." He collapsed upon all fours as his limbs shortened. 'Pleousse tarke.. risf…" After that he spoke no more, but produced a small package wrapped in cloth that he left on the ground.

Li groaned and rubbed his head as he sat up. "Next time I see that guy, he's going to stay dead." He winced as he felt blood trickle down the side of his face from where his head had hit the floor. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

Sakura looked back and forth between Syaoran and the gift left by Rusaki-kun. "I don't know what to believe anymore," Sakura said, "On the one hand everything he said makes perfect sense; on the other, I just can't accept it. I know I can trust you, but I don't know why."

"Magic can fool the eyes and the ears. It can control shape and function. There is one thing that magic can't change, and that's what's in your heart."

"Arigatou, Syaoran-kun."

"So do you want to open his present or shall I?"

"I'll do it," She replied, picking up the package. Opening it, she found two Clow Cards: The Sand and The Through. "Clow Cards…"

"We should head back. It's getting late, and Tomoyo said she would come by after her recital."

"Hai," Sakura agreed.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to fly?" Sakura asked after ten minutes of walking in relatively awkward silence.

"I'm sure," he replied, "No need to waste your energy."

"Are you really sure?"

"Sakura… What's wrong?"

"It feels like someone is following us," Sakura said.

"I don't see anyone," Syaoran said. He looked behind them and scanned all the nearby alleys.

Sakura began to walk faster, but the feeling remained.

"Let's stop for a moment," Syaoran suggested, "If there's someone following us, maybe if we concentrate, we'll be able to find them."

"Syaoran, we've been here before. Remember, before the trip, I had the same feeling." Sakura glanced around and spotted something. "The birds on that antenna." She pointed.

"I've never seen birds like those before."

"I have, they were in my dream."

"We should follow them, then. Find out who they belong to and make sure you never have a dream like that again." Sakura wasn't listening to him though. She was dashing off in the direction of the birds. "Sakura!" She didn't even turn; it was like she wasn't even hearing him.

Syaoran took off after her, barely managing to keep her in sight. When he finally caught up to her, she had stopped at the well where Syaoran had scared off the birds before. She was standing there strangely. Her eyes were unfocused as she stepped forwards until she was on the ledge surrounding the well. The well was also strange; it was glowing with an eerie light. Kero, having sensed something was wrong had come down from the air and was trying to hold her back.

White ribbons appeared out of the well, coiling almost as if they were alive. Syaoran did not know what they intended to do to Sakura, and he did not want to find out. He rushed forward and pulled her from the side of the well just as the ribbons lurched forward. Instead of grabbing her, they coiled around him.

"Sakura!" he called as the bands of cloth pulled him backwards into the well. Sakura finally managed to snap out of her trance, just in time to see Li disappear.

"Syaoran!" She leapt into the well after him, but only fell a few inches into the shallow pool. Syaoran was gone, and she had no idea how to save him.


	40. The Way Between The Worlds

**CH40: The Way Between the Worlds**

* * *

"What do I do?" Sakura asked, collapsing in the shallow water. She began to pull out the stones at the bottom, but it was no use. There was no way through.

"Sakura, that was not just any doorway," Kero said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "That was a dimensional gateway and it seems to have closed. We will have to find another way in."

"How am I supposed to do that? It's not like I see dimensional portals popping up everywhere!" Sakura asked desperately.

"There's a dimension that is between all dimensions. If you manage to get there, you should be able to find him. Your best hope of finding a portal is probably the Li's." Sakura called out her staff and took to the air with the fly card.

* * *

Syaoran struggled futilely as the bands of cloth pulled him through the waters until he found himself held before a strangely clad woman.

"What the hell do you want with Sakura?!" Li demanded.

"Where is he?" The woman asked, ignoring his question.

"I don't care who you are looking for, just leave us alone! Fire!" The cloth wrapped around him was incinerated, freeing him to fall and land agilely on a broken column.

"Where is Clow Reed?!" The woman demanded.

"He's dead," Syaoran replied. "So show me how to get out of here." He drew his sword.

"He can't be dead!" The woman screeched. "He can't die!" A pillar or water rose from below and headed towards Syaoran.

* * *

"Syaoran's in trouble!" Sakura burst into the living room of the Li mansion, after she had been informed by Wei that Yelan was there. What Wei had not had time to inform her of was that there were others there as well, people whom Sakura had never seen before. She looked around the room frantically trying to decide whether to ignore the people and go on with her explanation, or… Yelan made the decision for her, excusing herself and leading Sakura to the next room and shutting the door.

"What happened?" Yelan asked. Her icy tone indicated that Sakura had interrupted something important.

"We were coming back after we confronted Rusaki-kun and I thought I was being watched, and I saw the birds from my dreams, and then I was at the old well shrine and Syaoran pushed me out of the way and was captured by the woman from my dream who pulled him through the well and I couldn't get through after him and now I need a dimensional portal to go after him and save him…" Sakura blurted out.

After Yelan had a chance to process the onslaught of information, she pulled out her fan and waved it through the air. There was a faint glow, but nothing happened. She frowned. "I can't find him," She said worriedly, "Give me a moment please."

Yelan opened the door and returned to the group of people seated there. "Gomennasai, but an important family issue has arisen. The meeting will have to be postponed. Wei will show you out."

* * *

"Freeze!" The water column froze solid and crumbled.

"You possess Clow Cards!" The woman's voice range out furiously, "You will tell me where you got them!" With a wave of her arms the water gathered and rushed forth in a mighty tidal wave. There was no way for Li to get around it.

"Loop!" A ring formed around the chamber. Instead of crushing him in the surge, the water disappeared and reappeared above the woman. The woman screamed with rage as the full force of her attack was turned against her.

* * *

"It's impossible," Li Xian said. "Once the way is closed, the way is closed."

"But you forget," Li Han Yu replied, "She is still learning. She probably has no idea how to open a dimensional gateway."

"They will be at this for a while," Yelan whispered to Sakura. "Let us not disturb them until they have reached a solution. Show me the well."

* * *

To Syaoran's surprise, the woman seemed to be completely unaffected by the barrage he had turned against her, at least physically.

"Die!" Watery attacks came from all directions. A few of them even struck him as he leapt from broken column to broken column, working his way around the woman.

"Guardian of the tides, aid me!" A jet stream of water launched from his ofuda, piercing straight through the woman's shoulder.

* * *

"This is it," Sakura said, amazed that Yelan could look so poised and pristine after she had flown there at top speed on Sakura's wand. As Yelan approached the well, a barrier appeared, blocking them from approaching. "Sword!" Sakura's strike impacted the barrier. The barrier shimmered, and a vertical crack formed but sealed itself almost instantly. She struck again with no greater effect. On the third strike, Yelan stuck her fan in the crack and held it open, and exerting a great amount of effort, forced the barrier open even more until there was room for Sakura to pass.

"Go!" Yelan ordered. Sakura complied, passing through the barrier with Kero close behind.

* * *

The woman's wound glowed, shimmering as if it were coated with water before it closed its self up. It was as if the wound had never been there in the first place. The woman smiled sinisterly as she launched another barrage of attacks.

* * *

Sakura leapt into the well. This time she never hit the bottom. Instead, she passed right through into a strange space where she seemed to be continuously falling past glowing doorways. "Syaoran, please be okay…" Sakura whispered.

* * *

Syaoran couldn't run anymore. He had been hit several times and he could barely even stay upright. He was on one knee. Only by resting his weight on his sword did he keep himself from toppling over. Looking up, he saw the woman preparing to strike him down. "Sakura…" he said and then awaited the blow that would end his life.

* * *

"I sense him!" Sakura exclaimed. "There!"

"No Sakura wait!" Kero called out, but Sakura was already barrelling towards the doorway.

"I'll save you!"

* * *

Sakura looked around. It looked like she was back in Hong Kong. The time was midday and she could see Syaoran and Meiling walking through the park. "Syaoran!" She called out, racing towards him. The look he gave her made her cringe. She had never seen him so irritated with her.

"Who are you?" He asked, "And how dare you use my name."

"It's me, Sakura…" She replied. He did not seem to recognize her at all. "Don't you remember me?"

"Why would I remember you?" Sakura was shocked. How could Syaoran act like this after what he had said to her?

"Sakura!" Kero sped towards her, giving Li and Meiling a shock.

"What are you doing?!" Syaoran cursed at the guardian, "You know you're not allowed to leave the shrine."

"Quiet, gaki!" Kero said taking an instant disliking to this Li. "Sakura this isn't him. We have to go back."

"You can't ignore me!" Syaoran responded angrily, "I thought I trained you better than that!" He pulled a symbol out from his shirt, "Key of darkness reveal thy powers!" The symbol grew into a staff taller than he was. "Now, Keroberos obey your master!"

"You, my master?" Kero scoffed, "Not likely."

"Wood!" Vines grew out of the earth and entangled Kero's small form."

"Kero!" Sakura cried pulling out her own pendant. "Key that hides the powers of darkness, reveal your true form before me, under the contract, your mistress Sakura commands you, Release!" Her wand was not as impressive as his staff, but it got his attention. "Wood, free Kero!"

"This is impossible!" Syaoran yelled, as his vines loosened, allowing Kero to be free.

"What's wrong with you?!" Sakura demanded. Meiling then stepped in, attacking furiously. "Meiling-chan!" Sakura cried out, blocking the blows.

"That's the Li style of martial arts!" Li raged, "Who taught you?"

"You did!" Sakura replied angrily.

"That's impossible; I've never seen you before!" He whipped out an ofuda, "King of…"

"Negate, the contract demands it. Come to my aid!" Sakura called out. The ofuda burst into flame and crumbled into ash.

"This can't be!" Syaoran gasped "Only four people know that spell!" Syaoran growled.

"Yes: Me, you, Yelan-sama, and Xiao Fang-sama!" Sakura replied.

"No: me, Okaa-san, Otou-san, and council leader Li Yu Kai!"

"But your father's dead. He died when you were six. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Sakura!" Kero interrupted. "This isn't the right Syaoran. We passed into the wrong dimension!"


	41. OtherLi's World

**CH41: Other-Li's World**

* * *

Syaoran closed his eyes in anticipation of the strike that would fell him. There was a loud roar of rushing water, but he did not feel a thing. Not even a single droplet of water struck him. With the killing blow not forthcoming, he opened his eyes.

* * *

"Sakura," someone said, appearing mysteriously behind her. She turned and found a person that she hadn't expected to see.

"Eriol?" She asked. "What are you doing in China?"

"I am annoying my cute little descendant of course," Eriol said with a cheshire smile, "And I am here to help you out, before this Li falls in love with you too. I would just hate to have you killed for breaking up such a cute couple." He continued, after Sakura had sufficient time to be confused.

"Killed?!"

"Well Meiling would do the killing... I would just be trying to stay out of the way of her fists."

* * *

The waters continued to crash and roar, but they were striking something before they could hit him. It was a strange pink glow that reminded him of Sakura.

* * *

"So an alternate version of me is trapped by some crazy water witch who was a fortune teller that Clow Reed used to know?" Syaoran questioned. Eriol nodded.

"And now the trick is to find out how to get her back into the inter-dimensional dimension so she can find her way to him," Eriol explained, "You can't go back the way you came in, that was a one-way door. At least you cannot do it without a little magical help."

* * *

Syaoran touched the pink bubble, and it was solid. He had no way out, just as the woman had no way in.

* * *

"The thing about portals is that they are only there when they are perceived to be there. In other words, you can't accidentally pass through one because you have to know it's there for it to exist."

"Wouldn't that mean that someone could create portals from anywhere to anywhere at any time they wanted?" Sakura asked.

"If they were so inclined and had the magical energy to do it I suppose so, but it takes an awful lot of magical energy to make a portal. This is how the move card works actually. It makes small portals to transfer objects from one spot to another, but as you both no doubt have noticed, it cannot move anything larger than about a square foot. This is because the amount of energy to create a portal grows exponentially with its size. Simply put, the move does not have the energy to create larger portals, and it would need a master, or mistress, with powers so far beyond the two of you combined to move something the size of a person."

"You mean that we don't have enough energy to create a portal?"

"Exactly."

* * *

"That is an impressive barrier," The woman said. "I cannot penetrate it. Tell me where the one who created it resides."

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Li growled as the woman continued to demand he reveal where Clow Reed was hiding. "Get it through your thick skull, Clow Reed is D-E-A-D, dead." He began to use an ofuda of fire and ofuda of wind together to dry himself off as the woman mounted another futile assault against the bubble that protected him.

* * *

"If we don't have enough power to create a portal, then where do they come from?" Syaoran asked. "There must be something that allows them to be created, or else they wouldn't exist in the first place," Syaoran said "For someone who knows everything, you are acting like you don't know how to do it."

"Li Xiao Fang taught us about magic, he told us that you need a power source, because people have so little magical energy compared to other things like the sun or the earth or spirits," Sakura postulated, "Maybe I just need a power source that's strong enough to sustain a portal."

"But there's something else," Eriol continued to explain, "What do you think happens when you are passing through the portal? what maintains it long enough for you to complete your journey through once you have lost your connection to the power source?"

"So even if it is channelled from a powerful source, the caster can't pass through it or he will be cut in half?"

"Good for you, my cute little descendant. Either you need a power source that will continue feeding the spell, or you need someone else to maintain the connection. In order for the power source to continue supplying the portal, it must be in an overlapping proximity to the portal's area. Having someone else hold the portal open is much too dangerous for other reasons."

Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol and Kero headed to the old well shrine. "Now first, use the shadow card and mark out the area where you want the portal to be," Eriol explained. Sakura did as she was asked and covered the surface of the wells water with the shadow.

"Now draw from the energies of the well and use the through card. Make sure you are picturing the location you need to go to." The shadow began to melt away and the inter-dimensional dimension with all its doorways appeared.

"This well was actually used by that woman to tell fortunes because it sits at an axis where the earth's magical energies converge. It should be able to hold the portal open for a minute or two."

"Thanks for all your help Eriol," Sakura bowed before jumping through the portal.

"Remember: Water must flow!" Eriol called just before the portal closed.

"Why did you help her?" Syaoran asked.

"She would have interfered," Eriol responded, "And she was to be much too powerful to be worth taking on as an opponent."

"Does she have a double in this dimension?"

"Yes. I believe her name is Sakura Avalon. She lives in Reedington, Japan, or as it was called before you conquered it, Tomoeda. Excellent idea, my cute little descendant, she will be very useful if she joins us."

* * *

Sakura was falling, very, very far. She sensed Li through many of the portals she passed. "How do I know which door is the right one?" She asked Kero, "I can sense Li through so many of them."

"But you are looking for a place. You have to sense the place that you want to go, not what is in that place. There are infinite dimensions, with infinite possibilities many of which might hold an exact replica of the person you are looking for, but each dimension has its own unique signature as well. Picture where you went in your dream and find the door that gives you the same feeling."

"Hai!" Sakura closed her eyes and began to concentrate on the flooded warehouse, and the endless shaft, and the water room with the pillars and the strange woman, and, "Syaoran!" A door seemed to shift until it was directly below her.

* * *

"Sakura!" Li sensed her presence immediately.

"It can't be, another who holds the cards, but is not Clow Reed."

* * *

She passed through the portal and found herself out on Bird Street. She could hear the sounds of birds chirping, but the cages were empty. She felt an evil aura from above and saw the two birds which had appeared to her, both in her dreams and in reality.

"Avatars. They contain some of her power," Kero stated as he gazed at the birds who quickly flew off.

"Follow them!" Sakura took off after them. With each step it became easier and easier to sense Syaoran's presence. The birds passed through a broken window and Sakura followed by more conventional means. She recognized the building as the one from her dream. It was a large empty warehouse and it was completely flooded by a couple inches of water, which for some reason stopped as it hit where the door had been before Sakura had opened it.

"This isn't right." Sakura kicked the water towards the door and its trajectory curved so that it landed back in the main body of water rather than ending up outside the building. "Water must flow. It is a thing that must flow..."

As much as this failure of gravity, or extreme case of surface tension, confused her, she had other matters to attend to. She raced through the warehouse and entered the door on the other side. Instead of walking on the water like she had in her dream, she fell right through the surface and began to sink.

Soon, she saw a light appear. It was a doorway. She swam through it, with Kero hanging on to her hair. She swam to the opposite end of the room where there was a closed door. Once she opened it, the water, unlike at the upper level, flowed as it should, pushing her out into the large bright water filled room where the woman was viciously attacking Syaoran, or trying to at least.


	42. Emotional Barriers

**CH42: Emotional Barriers**

* * *

"Sand! Turn the water to mud!" Sakura watched as the water turned into a brown sloppy mess. It slowly began to get thicker and thicker and the woman's assaults against Syaoran became slower and less forceful.

The woman, noticing her weapon's dwindling effectiveness, turned her attacks towards Sakura. "Jump!" Sakura shouted as she called upon the card's powers. The woman's attacks were missing her. The woman dove at her and began attacking from closer range. Though her attacks were slower, the higher densities of her projectiles were giving them a much heavier impact. Chunks of columns went flying as thick gooey streams of mud impacted them at high velocity.

"Sakura, get me out of here, I can distract her!" Syaoran called out, as Sakura leapt from pillar to pillar.

"Sword!" She yelled, transforming her staff as she called the sand back to her. Instead of working her way around the woman to Syaoran, Sakura instead leapt straight at her, cutting her in half as she passed. She landed neatly next to Syaoran and got ready to strike the barrier that contained him.

"Look out!" Syaoran warned. Sakura leapt upwards just in time to avoid a barrage of mud.

"How can she still be alright?" Sakura asked as she landed behind Syaoran while more attacks blasted the bubble around him.

"She seems to heal almost instantly from any attack," Syaoran replied.

"If I get you out now, we will both be crushed. We need a way to distract her."

"The Wood!" Syaoran exclaimed. "If you can cover the mud with plants, it should hold together."

Sakura took his suggestion. Plants and vines and flowers covered the mud, planting deep roots that held it together. They drew upon the water in the mud and grew, surrounding the woman in a tangle of branches. The woman appeared to be contained, for now.

"Sword!" Sakura sliced through the bubble around Syaoran and it transformed into a shield.

"It's the Shield Card!" Kero said. "Seal it while it's in its true form."

"Shield Card, return to the form you were meant to have!" The Shield transformed into a card and Sakura signed it. "There's one thing I don't understand," Sakura said, "Why did the shield decide to protect Syaoran?"

"The shield protects things that are important to people," Kero explained, "When you were coming, all you wanted to do was save him. Your intense desire to keep him safe must have awoken the card to protect him."

"Sakura," Li started, "Arigatou, Sakura." He wrapped his arms around her, and for a few seconds, they stood embracing as water dripped from above onto the field of grass, flowers and bushes that Sakura had created in the room. The whole thing was so romantic that it was a real shame when it had to be disturbed by a loud rumbling as a jet of water broke through the plant barrier and headed their way. Li leapt aside, still clutching Sakura.

"Syaoran, don't let go. Fly!" Syaoran's face blanched as he was suddenly rocketed up into the sky with Sakura. He didn't let go. He held on tighter.

"You will not escape!" The woman yelled, flying up after them. Sakura dodged the blasts of water which were getting weaker the higher they went. The birds tried to interfere, but Sakura managed to avoid them as well. She flew through the windows at the top of the room.

* * *

Sakura found herself barely missing the roof of the water shrine in Hong Kong. She zoomed over Yelan and Tomoyo who was there filming her escape. There was a crash as the well shrine exploded into millions of pieces. Syaoran's mother created a barrier that protected both herself and Tomoyo. Sakura continued flying knowing that if she looked back she would see the woman behind her.

"Where are we?" The woman asked, looking at the scenery.

"This is Hong Kong," Sakura replied swerving around to face the woman.

"It's all different," The woman said, "You must be lying!" Two great columns of water rose up out of the harbour and began to fly towards them. Sakura flew dodging between skyscrapers. She finally came to rest inside a partially constructed building, hoping that she had lost the water witch. She learned she was wrong when barriers appeared between the girders and water began to pour in from above, slowly filling the entire floor of the building until there was no air left.

Syaoran struck the barrier with his sword, but it had no effect. Sakura was just trying to hold her breath, but it was difficult. The force of the water pouring in had not allowed her to take a full breath. Her vision was starting to go blurry. Her eyes closed.

It was the dream again, but different. She was floating in unfinished building this time. The words came, "Water must flow." She gasped and air filled her lungs.

Sakura's eyes opened. She was still floating but she wasn't floating alone. Syaoran was there, breathing the last of his air into her. "Water must flow…" She bubbled. She struck the arrow with her staff and fired an arrow straight up. It separated into hundreds of arrows before coming back down and striking holes in the barrier and the floor. The water began gushing out and falling towards the street.

She looked over at Syaoran; he was unconscious and being pulled by the current flowing out of the building. She grabbed his hand with hers and then grabbed a girder with her other hand until there was little enough water that she could stand. Sakura turned Syaoran on his side and he began to cough up the water that had filled his lungs.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Sakura said, turning towards the woman, why can't you just let Clow Reed go. He is dead! Whatever revenge you want can never happen now, so why can't you LEAVE US ALONE!" Sakura yelled.

"Because he can't be dead. I've waited so long for him."

"You don't hate him…" Sakura suddenly realized, seeing the pained look in the woman's eyes. "You loved him."

"I waited for him to return for so long."

"Gomennasai," Sakura said.

"No," The water witch replied, "I am the one who should be sorry… I shouldn't have held on so long. Everyone has their time, even those as powerful as Clow Reed. I also should have gone when it was my time, instead of clinging to this world." With those words, the woman began to dissolve into droplets of water until nothing was left but a golden hair ornament that fell to the floor.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to walk home?" Sakura asked Syaoran once they reached the bottom of the skyscraper, "I could fly us there in like ten minutes."

"Definitely not," Syaoran said.

"But it will take hours for us to walk back, and the water killed our cell phones so we can't call for a ride."

"No flying!" Syaoran insisted.

"Remember what happened last time you refused my offer to fly home?"

"That was a onetime occurrence."

"Are you sure? He was a powerful magician; he probably had tons of girls under his spell."

"If you really want to get home fast then use the dash card on me and I'll carry you."

* * *

"Then we are all agreed?" Xiao Fang asked the council.

"Yes. This is the best course of action."

"I almost forgot to inform you," Yelan said, barging back into the council chambers. "Syaoran was returned almost two hours ago. Your help will no longer be required." She turned and left the room before they could respond.

"Sometimes, I believe that she takes pleasure in doing this to us," Li Han Yu said.


	43. Sakura's Big Date

**CH43: Sakura's Big Date**

* * *

"Trade relations with feudal Japan in relation to exports from Li clan holdings in Euro-Asiatic commodity markets created opportunities for increased diplomatic integration, thus supplying the required connections to get a foothold in the Japanese markets which have been maintained to this day."

Sakura yawned as the elder droned on and on about something. She couldn't wait for it to end. This guy seemed to be able to take the most interesting of topics and make them as boring and stale as… well she couldn't think of a good comparison. Even watching grass grow was more interesting. Even if it wasn't, she could at least make the grass grow faster, while this guy just went on and one in a monotone dissertation that never seemed to make any real point. Even when she tried to listen, she could not make sense of what he was trying to say.

Suddenly, Sakura felt an elbow in her ribs. The elder was glaring at her rather harshly. "You were snoring," Meiling whispered.

"Gomennasai," Sakura apologized. Luckily for her, the elder seemed to have finished and walked out of the room.

"I don't even know why they have him teach us at all. I don't think even he understands what he is saying," Meiling complained, as she looked at the notes she had taken. None of them made sense now. "Right, Syaoran."

"..."

"Syaoran?" Sakura poked him and he toppled over.

"Huh? What?" Syaoran looked around. "He's finished?" The girls nodded. "About time..." He yawned. "He may be an expert at international relations, but I am beginning to think he just fakes it by confusing everyone and then they have to agree with him in order to not look stupid."

"I can't believe I am saying this, but I'd rather have an extra math lesson than to have to listen to another of his lectures. It's hard enough getting up this early without him trying to put us back to sleep."

"Well maybe some breakfast will wake us up," Syaoran suggested.

"I wish," Meiling said. "I have morning duty today, and he talked thirty minutes over the normal time. I don't have time for breakfast."

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran walked to school together. Tomoyo, like Meiling, also had morning duty, meaning it was just Sakura and Syaoran today.

"Sakura," Li said hesitantly, "There's a new movie coming out today. Do you want to see it tonight?"

"That fairytale princess one?"

"Hai," Syaoran replied.

"I've been waiting for weeks for that movie to come out. It looks so good, and the animals are so kawaii."

"So is that a yes?"

"Hai," Sakura replied. "We should ask Tomoyo and Meiling if they wanted to go, they would probably like it."

"Actually, I was thinking, it could be just you and me..." Syaoran said.

"You mean like a date?"

"Hai," He responded. He was slowly turning red as Sakura considered what to say.

"Hoee!"

* * *

"You are going on a date with Syaoran?" Tomoyo squealed in delight, causing several jealous glares to turn Sakura's way. "I have the perfect outfit for you to wear," Tomoyo said, smiling dreamily.

"If Syaoran doesn't wear one, I don't," Sakura stated.

"Perfect. You can both get ready at my house after school," Tomoyo said.

"Hey! I didn't agree with this!" Syaoran objected.

"Too bad. I thought you really wanted to go on this date," Tomoyo replied in mock sadness. "I guess it will just have to be cancelled."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then you will be there at four-thirty sharp."

* * *

Syaoran approached the gate or the mansion hesitantly. He still remembered the fiasco on the beach with Tomoyo's swim suits. Not that he would have minded wearing that particular swim suit as much now as he had then, but it still wasn't his style. He reached for the buzzer.

"Come in," Tomoyo's voice replied, "Up the stairs and third door on the right." With that, the gate opened. Syaoran followed the driveway up to the house and entered through the main door which was already being propped open for him by a woman in a black suit with sunglasses who motioned him towards the staircase. Tomoyo was extremely well prepared for someone who had found out about the date this morning at school.

When he entered the room, as indicated by a sign taped to the door, he found that it was not in fact a room, but a closet. It was a very large walk in closet with at least two other doors.

"Finally, you're here," Tomoyo said. "What took you so long!?"

"It's only a quarter past four!" Syaoran said. "You told me to be here at four thirty."

"Are you not going on a date with the most kawaii girl in the world?"

"Hai..."

"Then earlier is better. Now stand here," Tomoyo dragged him to a spot at the center of the closet where there were two sets of three way mirrors opposite each other upon the walls.

"Why?" He asked.

"Try this on," She hung an outfit before him. "Show me when you're done." She hurried out the door she had entered. "No! Sakura, like this." Syaoran heard before the door clicked shut.

* * *

Tomoyo had finally finished getting Sakura's dress onto her.

"Isn't this a little formal?" Sakura asked as she examined the stunning attire in the mirror.

"No, it's perfect." Tomoyo replied, "Now sit here." Just then, a knock came from the closet door. "Coming!" she called. She raced off to see how Syaoran had done. He had actually managed to get his outfit on, and had done it right. "Go through that door there," Tomoyo ordered, "And then do what you're told." Tomoyo raced back into her room and began to do some work on Sakura's hair.

* * *

"That took long enough!" Meiling scolded her cousin, and then forced him to take a seat in front of the bathroom mirror. "And you say I take a long time to get dressed."

"So, Sakura was here before me and she's still getting ready," Syaoran replied. It didn't seem like he had been excessively slow; after all he had only taken like ten minutes. Technically he wasn't even supposed to arrive for at least another five. Meiling growled and wrapped a towel around his neck and began working on his hair. She sprayed it with water, and then combed it out neatly, and then she gelled it into place.

"Something's missing," Meiling said as she looked at his neat and tidy hair. "I know!" She rubbed his bangs to mess them up. "Perfect!"

"But I look exactly the same as I did before!" Syaoran complained.

"No you don't," Meiling insisted, "Now close your eyes while I do your makeup."

"No!"

"Fine, but it might sting if I accidentally get it in your eyes," Meiling said.

"I am not wearing makeup!" Syaoran growled.

"Fine!" Meiling replied. She hit a lever on the chair with her foot and caused the back of the chair to recline dangerously fast.

""Hey! Watch it Meimpmhh." He was cut off as a damp, funny smelling cloth was slapped onto his face.

"Don't move!" Meiling said. "If you won't wear makeup I'll have to get a consult from Tomoyo on the next course of action."

* * *

"What do you mean he refused?!" Tomoyo growled, "Tell him that he wears it or he doesn't get to see what we've done to Sakura 'cause she'll be going out with us instead." It was so loud that Syaoran heard it from where he was. Meiling barged back in a few seconds later and pulled the wet cloth off of his face and began rubbing something else on.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleansing your pores," Meiling replied simply. "It will make the makeup less noticeable. Don't worry, I tried, but Tomoyo already vetoed lipstick and eye-shadow." Li closed his eyes and waited. He wanted this night to be special; hopefully Meiling and Tomoyo wouldn't ruin it. Even more so, He hoped that whatever spying they planned to do, they did it well enough that neither he nor Sakura would notice. Suddenly there was a painful rip on his face.

Syaoran let out a few choice words before finally screaming, "What the hell was that!"

"Tonight is going to be special, which means shaving just isn't good enough." Syaoran screamed when Meiling reached out and pulled another strip from his face. "Don't be such a baby. Sakura didn't even scream once when we did her."

* * *

"What was that?" Sakura asked, hearing what would have made a sailor blush.

"I believe Meiling has gotten to the waxing" Tomoyo replied.

"It's not that bad though," Sakura said. "It sounds like she is killing him."

"I think she is using the old stuff," Tomoyo said. "Not the new stuff that makes the hair come out easier.

"Ouch," Sakura said, remembering a time when she had used some of the cheap stuff that didn't have whatever it was that made the process less painful.

"Okay, we're almost done," Tomoyo said, putting a tiny bit of blush on Sakura's cheeks.

* * *

"I don't trust you," Syaoran said, as he was backed into a corner.

"I swear that nothing else will hurt," Syaoran glared at the advancing girl. "Fine do it yourself." Meiling tossed him the bottle of aftershave.

"What is this horrible odor?" Syaoran asked, sniffing the scent of the aftershave.

"First it's a really nice scent, and second it will go with the cologne." Syaoran reluctantly put it on.

"This is the last time I plan a date before the wedding," Syaoran growled. "The rest are going to be spontaneous." He dabbed the foul smelling liquid on his face. It still smelt horrid to him, and it stung... a lot.

* * *

"Are you ready Sakura?" Tomoyo asked.

"I guess," Tomoyo led her to the spot where Syaoran had changed.

"Now don't move."

* * *

"Isn't he ready yet?!" Tomoyo asked Meiling, who was fighting to get close enough to Syaoran with her tweezers to pluck his eyebrows.

"Not yet!" Meiling growled. Tomoyo marched over and grabbed Syaoran by the ear and dragged him over to the chair.

"Now listen, you will let her finish and you will not move or complain. You will take Sakura out and the evening will be perfect and Sakura will be happy or else!" Tomoyo's glare made his own glaring abilities look pitifully weak and he had no choice but to let Meiling finish plucking his eye brows, and whatever other things she did that he did not understand.

"I still think I look exactly the same," He said as he examined himself in the mirror in an attempt to observe whatever minute differences Meiling's administrations may have caused.

"Boys," Tomoyo growled in disgust, "You don't know anything." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost five. You're going to be late!" She gasped.

"But the movie doesn't start until seven."

"And what about dinner?" Tomoyo asked, "It's not like you can't afford to do the date right. Now get in there and see Sakura!" Tomoyo opened the door, and Meiling gave him a good hard shove into the closet. The door closed after him.

* * *

"Sakura!" He exclaimed as he regained his balance and saw his fiancée standing before him. His gaze started from the floor and worked its way up, seeing her from all sides thanks to the mirrors.

She was wearing cherry red shoes. Up a little higher, her white pantyhose covered legs were wrapped in a long pink skirt with red trim. It had slits on the sides that were almost indecently high. At the waist, it was fastened by a pair of thick silk sashes. One was red and the other white. Both fastened with a silver buckle in the front and wrapped around to trail behind her.

His gaze traveled higher and saw the top she wore that was, like her skirt, pink and red, and was fastened with silver ties every two inches until the Chinese styled collar fastened with a silver button engraved with the head of a wolf. Her face had little makeup, as far as Syaoran could tell; perhaps a bit of lip gloss and whatever they had done to him. Her hair was almost as it usually was, except that the forelocks surrounding her face had been made wavy and the back had been pulled up into buns, one on each side of the back of her head and covered with pink cherry blossom patterned cloth that was held in place by a ribbon of cloth whose colors were the same as those around her waist but on opposite sides.

"You look nice." He practically drooled.

"Nice?" She asked examining her date, who was dressed in much simpler attire. It was pretty much a green suit, except for the Chinese style shirt, which looked much like Sakura's except the ties, and trim were gold as was the button at the neck which depicted a cherry blossom.

"Umm, really nice?" He tried while attempting to get his brain back into working order. Sakura laughed as he struggled to think of a more appropriate word.

"You too," She smiled.

* * *

Somehow, Tomoyo had gotten them reservations at the fanciest restaurants in the city; A restaurant that just happened to have a three month waiting list on reservations. While Syaoran wondered how she had managed it, he didn't really care. The food was really good, and the company was even better. He barely even noticed the two girls hiding in the bushes across the room that were pointing a camera at them.

By the time the meal was over, Syaoran's brain had even started working again and he had listed off several adjectives that had come to mind to describe his date, much to her pleasure, and that of their pursuers, whose failures at stealth went completely unnoticed as the couple left the restaurant hand in hand and headed towards the theatre under the moonless night sky.

* * *

"Syaoran!" Sakura urged as she tried to watch the movie despite Syaoran's fidgeting.

"I can't help it," He replied. "These seats are too small."

"They can't be..." She looked up to her date. "Syaoran..." Even sitting down he was almost three feet taller than her now. "It's not the seat, it's you! You're huge." Syaoran stood up and the armrests snapped. Luckily for him, he had shelled out the extra dough to have a private showing rather than risk someone else ruining their date with a cellphone or talking during the movie. This did of course make the two girls sitting in the back all that more conspicuous, and they also noticed when Syaoran stood up and was half as tall as the screen in the theatre. "It must be a Clow Card," Sakura said, looking around.

"Probably the big," Kero said after floating over to them from where he had been watching with Tomoyo and Meiling.

"But where is it? I can't seem to sense it." Sakura said. Syaoran produced his laizen board, which was quite interesting to Sakura considering that he had no pockets on his outfit that were large enough to contain it.

"Imperial king of gods whose divinity watches over all four corners, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning, whirling blade of lightning, answer my call!" The board lit up and a beam of light pointed upwards and out of the theatre. "It's outside," Syaoran stated and then rushed towards the emergency exit. He had to crawl through.

Following the beam, they made their way up to the rooftops where they didn't see anything.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're growing again!"

"No I'm not, you're shrinking!"


	44. Logistical Incompatibilities

**CH44: Logistical Incompatibilities**

* * *

"Hoee!" Sakura's voice was high-pitched and barely audible, "Syaoran! Look out!" She cried as Li knelt down to get a closer look at her diminutive form.

"Gomennasai..." To Sakura, Li's voice seemed slow and deep, and impossibly loud. His breathing nearly toppled her over.

"Which way did the card go?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know," He said, pulling out his laizen board once again. The magical lights whirled around the board and failed to indicate a direction. "Either I can't find it anymore... or there's more than one card."

"We've got to find them," Sakura said as she glanced around in hopes of spotting a card.

"Sakura let me see what's under your dress."

"Hentai, baka!"

"That's not what I meant. Unless your thighs have started glowing, you're standing over something."

Sakura lifted the front of her dress. Standing between her legs was a small, yellow, glowing girl that was about knee high to Sakura, at least to the small version of her. The glowing girl ran out from her hiding spot and around Li. Sakura chased after it, but it was too fast for her.

"I've got it!" Li said as he tried to grab the card. He was too slow, and almost smashed Sakura in the process. The force of the wind from his action sent Sakura flying backwards. Fortunately, her smaller size also reduced her momentum which significantly reduced the impact of her fall, leaving her without injury. "Gomennasai!" Li said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Sakura replied, "But you're not! Look out!" Syaoran turned just in time to be tackled by a cat twice as large as he was.

"Nyao!" The cat pinned Syaoran under its paw.

"Help!" Syaoran begged as the cat's prickly tongue began licking him.

"Windy!" The card barely ruffled the giant animal's fur, "I don't have enough power!"

"Try to catch the card, maybe you will be able to return to your regular – Omph!" Syaoran grunted as the cat lay down on top of him. It purred contentedly from the nice belly rub it was receiving from the struggling Syaoran. Sakura gazed around and spotted the small yellow card creature hiding behind a vent. She ran towards it, wishing that Tomoyo had been thinking of more than just appearances when the outfit she was wearing had been made.

As Sakura grabbed for the card, it leapt backwards making her miss. She tried again. As she grabbed desperately for the card, it once again leapt backwards. Sakura's grab, having been more of a dive, ended up with her sliding across the hard sand-paper-like roof, scraping her arm bloody and ruining the front of the dress. Slightly frustrated, she dove at it again. It leapt once more, and Sakura found herself sailing off of the roof.

"Fly!" It was useless. At her size, her magic wasn't powerful enough and the wings barely slowed down her descent. Despite the speed of her fall, her landing was quite soft and she found herself cradled in Tomoyo's arms. Tomoyo had not seen where Sakura and Li had gone and had been wandering around below when a tiny Sakura had fallen into her arms.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo shrieked as she hugged the doll sized Sakura. Almost immediately after, another creature fell from the sky. The card's attempt to avoid capture had also sent it off the roof. It landed right on top of Sakura who immediately regained her normal size, causing Tomoyo to collapse under the weight.

"Return to the form you were mean to have!" Sakura sealed the card before it could escape, "Gomennasai, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said after getting off of her friend, "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I am fine," Tomoyo replied, "What about you, your arm is bleeding?"

"It's just a scrape," Sakura assured her, "There is another card, somewhere," Sakura said, "Do you have a battle outfit for me?"

"Of course," Tomoyo answered, "You're wearing it."

"But, I can barely move in this."

"That's because it's isn't ready for battle yet," Tomoyo said. She grabbed the belt buckle at the front, popped the front half out from the back, and turned it half a turn to the left. The whole abdomen section of the costume suddenly felt a whole lot looser and Sakura could move her upper body freely. Tomoyo then passed the ends of the silk belt through hidden loops of fabric in the front and back of the skirt, wrapping them around her waist again and feeding them through the belt buckle. Now the dress only reached to just above Sakura's knees, making it much easier to run.

"Arigatou!" Sakura said. She was amazed at the change that a few adjustments had made. "Fly!" This time the wings were full sized, and she flew both herself and Tomoyo to the top of the roof.

Meiling had already found her way to the roof. She had discovered Syaoran and the predicament he was in. Instead of attempting to aid him, she was petting the large animal, despite Syaoran's protests.

"Flower! Create a lot of catnip!" Sakura said, in an attempt to lure the cat away. A large pile of catnip appeared before Sakura. She realized her mistake when the cat suddenly started going crazy. It began leaping around and rolling through the pile.

"Great, just as I pictured my death," Meiling said sarcastically, "trampled to death by a giant cat." Syaoran was a little more grateful.

"Arigatou, Sakura." He thanked her, leaping over a swipe of the massive feline's tail, "You caught the card?" He asked, noticing that Sakura was once again her usual height.

"Hai!" She smiled.

"It was the little card right?" He asked. Sakura nodded. "Then why didn't you use that on the cat instead?" Sakura blushed, though her embarrassment was short lived as the cat once again pounced on Syaoran, knocking him into the catnip, which was now strewn about.

"Little!" Sakura attempted to shrink the cat, but the card was ineffective, "I guess we have to capture the other card first," Sakura said. Syaoran managed to pry himself from under the cat's paws, only to be pounced on again.

"Here!" Syaoran tossed Sakura the still-activated magical compass. Its beam pointed off across the rooftops. "Find it…" The cat began grooming the top of his head, "Fast!"

"Nyao!" The cat said, purring as it continued to lick the catnip covered boy.

"Jump!" Sakura began to leap from rooftop to rooftop back past the theatre. It was not difficult to follow the card's trail, as pebbles the size of cars, and lampposts that towered above skyscrapers were difficult to miss.

Soon, Sakura came upon what looked like the little card, which she had, just captured, only it was blue and much taller. It had found something that was apparently stuck inside a roof vent. Sakura stealthily snuck up towards it.

"Return to the…" Just as she was about to seal the card, it managed to rip out the object which had fascinated it, causing Sakura to scream and jump back as the hollow paper-like sphere was removed and grew to be much taller than she was.

The card looked as if it was happy with its accomplishment until a deep buzzing rumbled from the hive and swarms of giant wasps began emerging and attacking everything in sight. It did not take the card long to figure out that it did not want to be around these angry insects and it began to run around frantically as it was chased by the giant striped threat it had created. Sakura quickly erected the shield card around herself to save her from the stinging horde that had noticed her presence as well.

Every so often, Sakura could hear the card cry out in pain as one of the wasps managed to stick her with its stinger. Sakura wished that she could help the card, but the angry wasps would certainly kill her if she left the sanctuary of the protective pink bubble.

The card tripped in her haste and fell to the ground. The swarm was immediately upon her, stinging ferociously. Sakura wished she had the fiery card. Its flames would have taken care of the nasty attackers very quickly. Unfortunately, that card was stuck under a big cat with Syaoran. The ofuda of fire would not cause a large enough flame to get them before they got to her.

The card's screams gave way to defeated whimpers as it lost the will, or ability to struggle against her oversized opponents. Sakura recalled a television show she had seen once about pest exterminators who used soapy water as a method of killing Africanized killer bees in America and it gave her an idea.

"Bubble! Water! Work together and get rid of the wasps!" Sakura shouted as the released the shield and struck the two cards she had just named. Jets of bubbly water began spraying out and soaking the wasps whose waterlogged wings could no longer hold them aloft. The wasps fell to the ground where they twitched for a minute before ceasing all movement as they suffocated.

When all the wasps had been taken care of and the hive flooded for good measure, Sakura made her way past the dead insects and to the card. It was lying still and whimpering in a shallow puddle filled with the fist-sized bugs. While there were no physical manifestations of the abuse, the card was obviously still in a great deal of pain from the attack.

After sealing the card, Sakura made her way back to where Syaoran was still wrestling with the cat, stopping to restore things to their original sizes along the way. When she got there, Meiling was gathering up the catnip and dumping it on Syaoran, causing the affectionate feline to nuzzle him even more, despite Syaoran's protests. Sakura returned them both to their appropriate size, after taking some time to enjoy the show since she had missed half of the movie.

* * *

"Do you know what day it is?" Syaoran asked as they wandered the streets of Hong Kong, working their way in the general direction of the Li mansion.

"Friday," Sakura replied.

"Even if that is what I had meant, you'd still be wrong," Syaoran said.

"Hoe?"

"It's five minutes past midnight," Syaoran said, "And that means it is Saturday, and exactly six months since the day that we met."

They walked in silence for a few moments, Syaoran taking her hand gently in his.

"Gomen," He said.

"Hoe?"

"I was a complete baka that day," Syaoran said, "I liked you too much and felt that I had to hide it. I pretended I hated you, but still... When I was asked to show you to your room, I couldn't resist taking your hand."

"Really?" Sakura asked, blushing at his admission.

"Hai," He nodded. "The way I treated you then had nothing to do with you, well not directly," He said guiltily, averting his eyes from her for a second, "I was afraid, because I wasn't in control. You may have noticed, but that runs in the family. It's the same reason why my mother set up everything in the first place."

They stood still in awkward silence for a moment.

"Sakura..." He took a seat on a nearby park bench, "Did you know what I meant that night in the warehouse, when I said 'aishiteru'?"

"...I know what the word means..." She said nervously.

"When you love someone, happiness is being with them, and nothing is more painful than losing them, but most importantly, you want that person to be happy no matter what you have to do."

"Syaoran..." Sakura couldn't think of anything to say.

"Sakura, would you be happy if you were with me?" He asked.

Sakura sat beside him in silence, not knowing how to answer. "I don't know," She eventually said with a sigh, "Gomennasai."

"I...I was afraid tonight too," Syaoran said sounding a lot happier than Sakura had thought the answer would make him, "I didn't think you would say yes, but I was afraid that you would say no." He took a small velvet box out of his pocket, and flicked it open to reveal a white-gold ring with two gems on it. One was a pink diamond in the shape of a sakura blossom and the other was a green emerald that resembled a wolf's head, "I brought this in case you said yes," He said, taking the ring out of its case, "But also in case you didn't."

"Nani?" Sakura asked quietly. She watched Syaoran remove the ring from its case. He then twisted the ring. The one ring suddenly became two with one gem on each.

"This one is for you," He said as he placed the one with the diamond on her finger, and then he returned the other half of the ring to its case, "and if you ever decide that your answer is yes," He placed the box into her palm, "Just make sure that the little wolf and the cherry blossom come together."

They sat there for a long time. Sakura just sat there, holding the box, and Syaoran sat there holding her.


	45. AprilFools The Wolf And Love Revealed

**APRIL FOOLS CHAPTER. Note the complete deviation from the planned storyline and the first letter of each sentence in the authros notes spell out "APRIL FOOLS". This chapter purposefully left unedited, except for this warning.**

**Author Notes:** A short chapter. Pretty much wraps everything up. Really, I just got tired of writing this story, I finished it off quickly and neatly, even though its not as good or as long as I planned. Like, seriously, this is the longest story I've ever written. For weeks, now ideas for this story have been running dry. Of course, I could just make a bunch of simple boring chapters, but I felt this would be the better way to finish it. Other, fresher stories will be following soon. Laterz. See ya next story.

**Heart of the Wolf**

Chapter 45: The Wolf and Love Revealed

* * *

Sakura looked to the pink stone on the ring that encircled her finger. To say the least, she was confused about what she should do. She actually liked Li. He was handsome, and kind and he loved her. She, however, was confused about what she felt. She had never really rejected his advances, but she had never encouraged them either. She quickly droped her hand under the deskas she noticed Tomoyo turning towards her.

"Is everything all right?" The raven haired girl asked. Tomoyo had been pestering her all day about the way she was spacing out. Tomoyo was always so worried about how she felt.

"I am fine." Sakura replied, unconvincingly.

"If there's anything you want to talk about..." her friend trailed off, giving Sakura an opportunity to talk. Sakura didn't say anything. "Please Sakura."

"Hai." Sakura assented. She sighed in defeat. Tomoyo's innocent look of concern was as powerful as any magic, and somehow, seeing her like this, wather than obseesing about video taping her or making dresses for her was just wrong somehow. "But later..."

"Sakura, whatever it is will turn out okay." Tomoyo comforted.

* * *

A few hours later, the bell rang for lunch. Tomoyo quickly dragged Sakura from the school grounds, to a limo, and finally ending up in her room, with no one around but the two of them and a delicious looking lunch, including a cake Tomoyo had baked herself. They ate in silence. It felt awkward, and by this, Sakura was finally able to talk.

"Li proposed to me." Sakura said. She passed both halves of the ring to Tomoyo for inspection. "He said that all I have to do to agree is wear both halves of the ring."

Tomoyo smiled softly at Sakura's description of Syaoran's proposal. "Now, you don't know what to do." She said, stating it as a fact rather than a question. Over the past six months, she had come to know Sakura rather well. She knew that Sakure, despite her genki attitude was actually really shy and introverted. She was also much to concerned for what others felt to think about what she really wanted. "You don't want to say yes and you don't want to say no."

"Hai." Sakura nodded. Tomoyo handed back the ring. "I don't want to hurt him, but I can't think that way."

"How did you feel when he asked you."

"I was surprised... Shocked actually. I really wasn't expecting it. We had spent so much time avoiding it that I... I knew he was sincere, but I felt nothing."

"Nothing?" Tomoyo asked, "There had to be more, how do you feel about spending your life with him?"

"I could do it." Sakura said, "I would have a good life, and he would be good to me."

"Would you be happy?"

"I think so, he's a good guy." Sakura mumbled uncertainly.

"Do you love him?" Tomoyo asked ernestly.

"I..." Sakura stopped talking. As much as Li had been trying to make her love him, she had never asked herself that question. It was a hard question because Sakura had never had a boyfriend before. She had felt strong crushes on attractive guys before, but Touya had never let it progress beyond that. "He loves me." Was the only answer she could think of. It didn't answer the question at all.

Tomoyo wrapped her arms around her friend stroking the back of her head in a comforting manner. "But what about you?"

"He's willing to give up everything for me." Sakura said, beginning to get even more upset. This was such a hard subject when you had a choice.

"Forget about his feelings, and tell me how you feel."

A tear gently began to roll down Sakura's cheek. "After he asked me, I found out what he gave up to give me the choice. If I tell him, he will lose everything. H'll go from being their Li heir to being a servant."

"Sakura, if he really loves you, he wants you to be happy." Tomoyo said, wiping the tear from Sakura's face. "He wants you to be happy, and would rather live as a servant knowing you are happy with someone else than to have everything and know you are just surviving." Sakura nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything, "I want you to be happy too. Aishiteru." Tomoyo said, leaning forward to give her friend a kiss on the forehead, but when Sakura looked up because of her words, her kiss landed on Sakura's lips instead.

Sakura was stunned. When Li had kissed her it had felt safe. When Tomoyo kissed her, it was like the world disappeared, and nothing else mattered or even existed. She gripped he shirt of Tomoyo's uniform and leaned unto he kiss gently.Tomoyo pulled away unexpectedy.

"NO!" Tomoyo exclaimed. She seemed so frantic, Sakura wondered if she had done something wrong. It was not the way Tomoyo had planned to kiss her, but she had wanted it right.

"Tomoyo-chan...?" Sakura asked, fearing good or ill what Tomoyo would say. "What's wrong?"

"I wasn't planning on this." Tomoyo wept, "I forgot to start the video cameras!"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. It was such a Tomoyo moment.

"It would look better if I was wearing a costume anyway." Sakura said.

* * *

Sakura paced in the park in front of the bench where Syaoran had proposed to her. She had called him what had seemed like an eternity ago. She was afraid of what she would say, and how he would react to it. She had told him that she had made her decision. He had sounded hopeful. Sakura held the velvet box in her hand. Its cavity was filled with the symbol of something she would never feel. She sat down and leaned back, closing her eyes tightly. She hated hurting people, and this would probably be the only time she would ever willingly hurt someone.

"You've decided." The box was gently lifted from her hands. Opening her eyes, she saw Syaoran standing before her, silhouetted by the bright blue moon.

"I'm sorry." She said. She went to hug him, wanting the comfort that his presence had always offered, but missed as he seemingly disappeared into thin air. She fell to her knees, tears now freely flowing from her eyes. Standing right in front of her, was a shaggy brown head with all-too-familiar bright amber eyes. She wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck and buried her face in the fur. The warm comforting feeling emanated from the wolf. "I'm so sorry Syaoran." She whispered.

"So am I." The wolf replied, distinctly in Syaoran's voice.

"I do love you, but marrying you would be like marrying my brother." She said.

"I understand." He replied, letting her work through her tears. When she had finished, he said, "I knew this would be your answer, ever since the moment I asked."

* * *

Sakura knocked on the imposing wooden door. This was the hardest day of her life. And this would be the hardest thing she had to do.

"A liitle late to be knocking on peoples doors isn't it." The ruby eyed girl looked quite intimidating, despite the frilly white and red pajamas that the girl was wearing.

"I'm sorry for everything I've put you through." Sakura blurted out, before turning around, and began briskly walking away.

"Now wait a minute!" Meiling shouted, grabbing Sakura's arm, "You are not going to waltz up to my door in the middle of the night, wake me up and then leave without explaining what the hell is going on."

"I..." The girl's fierce gaze was even harder to confront that Syaoran was, "I.. um... Here!" Syaoran had given her the ring back, saying he wouldn't need it. Sakura in turn was now shoving the box into Meiling's hand, before running away from the other girl and heading back to Tomoyo's house. Half way there, she could almost hear the gears in Meiling's head finally crunch to a halt as they figured out the significance of the midnight visit. The resounding cry of joy that immediately followed, however, was quite audible, and lights all along the street began flickering on as the occupants awoke to the sound.

* * *

Sakura and Tomoyo walked to school hand in hand, meeting up with the other new, or to be more precise renewed, couple. Meiling was clinging to Syaoran as powerfully as the first day Sakura had met her. Syaoran certainly did not look to unhappy about it either.

"So... did you tell the elders?" Sakura asked nervously.

Li nodded.

"And what about the deal you made?" Sakura asked.

"Well you know how I said that those Lis without magic, need to excel in everything?" Meiling asked.

"Hai."

"Well apparently Li Xeng does not excel at covering up accounting errors." Syaoran explained.

"But I'm really good at pointing them out." Meiling stated proudly, "Though I somehow doubt Xeng will appreciate my ability as much as Syaoran does."

"I thought he was supposed to be some sort of business prodigy."

"Maybe, but for some reason he writes with pencil instead of pen." Meiling said, smirking.

"So it's not that you are good at finding accounting errors, but that you are good at faking them?" Tomoyo asked.

"Maybe..." Meiling said innocently, "but it gave Yelan-sama all the leverage she needed."

"Sakura!" A boy wearing a hooded sweatshirt ran by, just pausing long enough to shove a thick brown envelope into Sakura's hands.

Written in a very neat and stylized printing in black permanent marker were the words "Here's what I owe you." and it was signed Rusaki Numaru, and the shareholders of the Shiza Corporation. Sakura opened the envelope. Inside were documents which transferred ownership of all Shiza Corp shares to her, as well as a stack of the remaining Clow Cards. There was a note inside as well. It said "Just don't let a Li get their hands on this. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Wow, Shiza Corp must really hate Lis." Sakura exclaimed.

"They started it." Syaoran said immaturely. Sakura giggled at his reaction.

"I can only imagine what you would have done if you had found out he was the one I'd broken up with you for."

"Well we don't have to worry about us making that mistake," Meiling smirked evilly, "After all, it's been as obvious that Tomoyo likes you as much as I like Syaoran, you stayed at her house last night, you are walking to school holding hands, and you have a humongous hickey on the back of your neck."

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura whined as she heard the last statement Meiling made.

"She's just kidding." Tomoyo pointed out to her new girlfriend, "I know I made sure they would all be hidden by your uniform." Sakura began to blush deeply crimson and Meiling laughed, wondering if Tomoyo had been joking as much as she had been.

* * *

**Clow Cards (52/52+3):**

Sakura:  
The Arrow, The Big, The Bubbles, The Change, The Dash, The Flower, The Fly, The Jump, The Little, The Rain, The Return, The Sand, The Shadow, The Shield, The Shot, The Silent, The Sleep, The Sword, The Through, The Windy, The Wood, The Voice, The Watery, The Wave

The Cloud, The Create, The Dark, The Earthy, The Float, The Fool, The Glow, XThe Hope, The Light, The Mist, The Move, XThe Nameless Card, XThe Nothing (Void), The Power, The Snow, The Sweet, The Thunder, The Time, The Twin

Syaoran:  
The Dream, The Erase, The Fiery, The Fight, The Freeze, The Illusion, The Libra, The Lock, The Loop, The Maze, The Mirror, The Storm, The Song

**Dictionary:  
**Abayo: Good-Bye  
Aishiteru: I love you  
Arigatou: Thank you  
Baka: Idiot  
Gaki: Brat  
Gomennasai: Excuse me/sorry  
Hai: Yes; general acknowledgement.  
Hentai: Pervert.  
Hi: Fire, flame, blaze (noun suffix)  
Hoe: Random noise Sakura makes as an exclamation of surprise or anger.  
Kaijyuu: Monster  
Kaki: Fire  
Kawaii: Cute  
Konnichiha: Hello.  
Moshimoshi: Traditional telephone greeting.  
Nani: What  
Ofuda: A sacred object or charm. Usually a small paper with words written on it.  
Ohayou: Good morning  
Ohayou gozaimasu: Good morning, polite version.  
Okaa: Mother  
Onii: Brother  
Otou: Father  
Ouhte: (Coptic Egyptian) Lightning/Calamity  
Sakura: Name, means cherry blossom  
Shibariageru: To bind/tie up  
Syaoran: Name, is the Japanese form of the Chinese Xiao Lang which means little wolf.  
Sugoi: Really good/bad (Depends on context)  
Yuan: Chinese currency, worth about 1/70 USD  
-chan: Honorific that refes to girls, or very young boys. Implies cuteness.  
-koishii: Honorific that refers to ones lover.  
-kun: Honorific used to refer to males. From older to younger males. From girls to boys. Not to be used by parents unless they are trying to spoil a child.  
-sama: Honorific used to refer to elders or those due respect.  
-sensei: Honorific that refers to a teacher.  
-san: Used to refer to people to whom you have no other acceptable honorific.

**Original Characters:  
**Isenas-Sensei: A teacher at Tomoeda High School.  
Dr. Ling Hi: Li family's personal doctor.  
Dr. Ling Kue: Father of Ling Hi, and predecessor as Li family physician before his retirement.  
Li Han Yu: Council member who tends to consider honour over expense, brother of Li You Kai.  
Li Kum Soun: Was the most powerful seer in the Li family and a member of the Li council of elders until her death.  
Li Xeng: Cousin to Syaoran, son of Li Xun's brother. His skills in battle and magic are moderate, but his strategic mind and unrivalled business sense make him an excellent candidate for leadership.  
Li Xian: Li council member, respected, but has not risen to the upper echelons due to his hasty decision-making and tendency to favour the easy method over the proper one.  
Li Xiao Fang: Current leader of the Li council of elders and most powerful sorcerer in the clan.  
Li Xun: Syaoran's father and clan leader until his death.  
Li Yu Kai: Aggressive council member who believes that most problems can be solved with physical brutality. Brother of Li Han You.  
Rusaki Numaru: Student at Sakura's school, until Sakura killed him. Reappears claiming to be the wolf.  
Rusaki Chen: Father of Numaru and CEO of the Shiza Corporation  
Rukadin Umarut: New transfer student from Egypt. Enjoys other people's misery. Disappeared after fighting Sakura and Syaoran.


	46. To Lunch, or Something Like It

**CH45: To Lunch, or Something Like It**

* * *

Sakura stood in the school hallway outside her classroom door. She looked at the light glinting out of the stone on her finger. Ever since she had gotten it, she had not been able to concentrate on anything. For such a simple question, it was so difficult to answer, and so consuming for her mind.

She certainly liked Li, so that wasn't what was holding her back. He had become hopelessly caring and romantic, and she had yet to spurn his advances, nor feel the desire to. They had only gone on one official date, but the fact that they had originally been forcibly engaged had forced her to come to terms with the fact that they would have to do normal couple stuff eventually. Li had always initiated everything though, short of her clinging to him whenever something spooky happened, but anyone else available was just as acceptable in those circumstances.

Sakura wondered if she might actually love him. The question had run through her head an uncountable number of times since Li had given her the ring. She took the velvet box and opened it. She had carried with her since it had been given to her. The green wolf's head sparkled as brilliantly as the cherry blossom did. Did the wolf and the cherry blossom really belong together?

Her feelings towards Li were not what she had imagined love to be. It wasn't even close to what she had seen in movies or on TV. He was certainly attractive, but you would have a hard time finding any girl who did not feel the same way. He did not make her feel like she could not go a moment without him. Her feelings had been more neutral, more of warmth of knowing that she was safe with him, but there were also negative feelings involved. While she was sure she could trust him with her life, she was unsure of whether she could trust his intentions. Despite his truthful words, something always seemed off, not as if he was lying, but as if he was hiding some fundamental truth from her. This feeling had only been augmented when they had seen Rusaki-san and he had talked of plots in the Li household that had seemed to fit so well with what she knew of them that she could not simply dismiss what he had said.

"Li Sakura..." She whispered hesitantly. The name rolled off the tongue rather easily, but to her it felt harsh. She just didn't seem to fit with the regal family. Her genki disposition was in stark contrast to the cold business-like manner of the Li family, with the exception of the Li sisters who took it a level even beyond her, much to her brother's annoyance. Except for Syaoran and Meiling, all the Lis seemed so distant from her. They stood over society like ancient gods, yet honour-bound to their positions in the clan. She felt so inadequate and foolish around them.

She knew she shouldn't even be thinking about his family in this consideration. It should be a matter of love, but the close relational, business, and honour ties, as well as Syaoran's personal role in the future of the clan demanded it.

She sighed as she continued to ponder the question that had consumed her, and had already gotten her kicked out of two classes that day for failing to pay attention. The bell rang, and Sakura pocketed the emerald studded ring, feeling that she was not ready to listen to what Tomoyo would obviously think of the matter.

"Stop worrying. You have plenty of time," Syaoran said. He had suddenly appeared beside her from the swarm of students exiting the class. "Just forget it for now, and let's have lunch." Syaoran took her hand and began to lead her outside.

* * *

"There's still one more class before lunch," Sakura protested. She had to run to keep up with him as he lead her out under the sakura tree in the yard.

"That's the entire point of going now," Syaoran said, "Tomoyo will worry so much about the way you've been acting today that she will hog you for the entire duration of the real lunch hour, and she's taping the lesson for us anyway."

"You just think of everything don't you?" Sakura scowled half-heartedly. She was secretly pleased that he had thought it through so well, knowing that she would have trouble if she missed the lesson. He would probably even offer to help her study later, just to make sure she understood it.

"Well, not quite everything," Syaoran said deviously, "I seem to have forgotten to bring a lunch." He leaned forward. At first she thought he was going to kiss her, but at the last second he swerved to the side, and ran his tongue along her jaw line until he got to her earlobe which he began to gently suck on. Sakura suddenly came to the realization that she was grabbing his chest and leaning into him. "I think I found something that tastes better than lunch," Syaoran whispered into Sakura's ear, "and I think I want another taste."

Syaoran's arms wrapped around Sakura's body until they were resting in the valley of her lower back. He began to kiss the side of her neck. His right hand was gently tracing her spine under the bottom edge of her shirt. It all felt really warm and sort of tickled. Sakura didn't know what to do. She leaned her head against Syaoran's shoulder. She had never had a boy try anything like this with her before. The last boy who had done so much as hold her hand had not been able to use it again for six to eight weeks thanks to…

"Baka! What the hell are you doing to my sister?!"

"Touya!" Sakura yelped, speedily pushing away from Syaoran. Her blush was even more pink than the blossoms of the tree that they were standing under.

Touya and Syaoran glared at each other. "What are you doing here?" Syaoran growled.

"I should ask you the same question," Touya turned to his sister, "You should be in class."

"What about him?" Sakura asked.

"I, being a responsible part time janitor, will naturally be taking him to the nurse's office. Falling out of this tree and breaking a hand and a jaw will be tough on him." Touya cracked his knuckles.

"Bring it on any time," Syaoran challenged as he took up a fighting stance.

"Syaoran! Onii-chan!" Sakura tried to stand between them. Yukito, having been nearby, tending to his own duties, came along to restrain Touya.

"You two better head to class or you'll be late," Yukito gently commanded. He was having trouble holding back Touya who was the larger of the two. Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand and began to run, knowing that he would follow, even though she also knew that this action would only make Touya angrier.

"You have such a sister complex," Yukito teased.

"No one touches my sister!"

"You mean like this?"

Soon, the Sakura and Syaoran were out of auditory range of the two men, though Sakura was sure it would be a while before Syaoran could face Touya without risking bodily harm.

* * *

She managed to get them into class just as the bell was ringing, though they were both out of breath. They both headed to their respective seats. Sakura sat next to Tomoyo. She noticed the other girl was looking at her oddly.

"Hoe?"

"Your 'lunch' with Syaoran was a little short."

"Touya apparently works here, and we just found out."

"So what did you eat?"

"Nothing," Sakura said, trying to divert the topic of conversation before it entered further into the realm of the things she did not talk about.

"Are you sure? Syaoran looks satisfied." Sakura turned around when Tomoyo said this and verified that Syaoran was staring at her with a rather smug expression on his face, "Perhaps it has to do with that strange rash you have developed on your neck."

Upon hearing this, Sakura began to dig through her bag. Tomoyo saved her some effort and handed her a compact that she had. Sakura flicked it open, and saw that she did indeed have a couple of bright red tags on the side of her neck. She realigned the tiny mirror so she was sure that Syaoran could see her face, and gave him a glare that would have made any Li proud. She used her hand to cover up the red mark, pretending to use her hand to support her head.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo gasped, "Is that what I think it is?"

The whole incident with Syaoran had made her forget about the other incident she had been covering up. She nodded slightly. She was no longer able to hide it from her friend.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo squealed much too loudly. The entire class turned towards the disruption.

"Daidouji-san, Kinomoto-san, you are disrupting the class. Stand in the hall until the class is finished." Sakura sighed. She was not having any luck today. Not only had she missed her classes and been caught with Li by her brother, but she had also failed to hide anything that she had intended to.

Out in the hall, Tomoyo demanded to know all the details, forcing Sakura to divulge all the details of the night. Tomoyo was quite distressed that she had listened to Li when he had told her and Meiling to go home that night. "If I had stayed, I could have captured that on video." She then grinned, "But at least I got a consolation prize today." She took out her camera and replayed the scene that had occurred earlier. It had been shot through one of the classroom's windows. No amount of begging or pleading could convince Tomoyo to get rid of that shot.

"Wait a minute..." Sakura said, "Rewind for a second." A minute before her brother had interrupted them, a person had walked by in the background in her brother's direction. There was something familiar about him, though from the distance, she could not tell who it was.

"Can you zoom in on him?" Sakura asked. Tomoyo skipped to the frame where the boy was most visible. Upon zooming, he had become quite blurry and pixelated, but nothing could be told except that the boy had brown hair and was wearing a school uniform.

"I'm sure I've seen him before," Sakura said.

"Well whoever he is, he goes to this school," Tomoyo said, "Perhaps you have seen him in the hallways or something, but you really can't tell who he is from this."

"I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that it was his fault that Touya came along when he did. Your movie might have been a lot longer."

"Really? What were you two planning on doing?"

"Nothing!" Sakura replied, blushing. "At least, I wasn't planning anything, but for some reason, even if I want to stop him I can't help but stand there and let him do what he wants."

"You were doing more than just standing there," Tomoyo said rewinding and zooming until only Sakura and Li filled the small view screen. "When you are rubbing up against him like that, I'm not surprised the boy gets ideas like this."

"It wasn't like that..." Sakura said. She was embarrassed because the video made her appear to be a little bit looser than she had intended.

"Just look at yourself grabbing him," Tomoyo grinned slyly, "It looks like you want to rip his clothes off right there."

"I have never done anything to make him think I like it," Sakura huffed.

"Admit it. You like it."

"I did not!" Sakura insisted.

"Just like you did not grab him and rub your body up against his?" Sakura glared at Tomoyo. The bell rang for the real lunch period, not allowing Tomoyo to continue her interrogation.

"Sakura, have you been watching this all period?" Syaoran said when he came out of the classroom and saw the repeated playback of their earlier session.

"Hai," Sakura answered truthfully.

"You should have gotten yourself kicked out too. She would not have had to resort to watching the video."

"Tomoyo!" Sakura glared at her friend."Why don't you show him the guy?" Sakura asked in an attempt to divert the conversation.

"As soon as you admit you liked it," Tomoyo insisted.

"A better question would be which part did you like the most?" Meiling asked, peeking over Sakura and Syaoran to look herself.

"Thanks, why don't you just show the entire school." Sakura replied sarcastically

"My pleasure, I think it was this part," Syaoran said and leaned towards her.


	47. Take Two

**CH46: Take Two**

* * *

"What! No kiss for me?" Meiling asked. She was feigning shock as she inserted herself in between Sakura and Syaoran. "And I thought I was your favorite cousin."

"It's not like you have any real competition there. You are the only cousin who talks to me when they don't want me to beg Okaa-san for something. Now if you will excuse me, I have a demonstration to do for all the good people who are standing around eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Not so fast!" Sakura said, "I want to watch too, so any demonstrations are going to have to be on someone else. And if I'm not mistaken, Meiling just volunteered for the part."

Syaoran scowled, "Fine, we'll skip the demonstration then. Now what was this talk about some guy on the video."

Tomoyo rewound the video and replayed it. Sakura pointed out the guy. "I think he went and told Touya what was going on."

"Well the timing is a little suspicious, but he could just be someone who had a spare for the last period and was heading back to school. Either way, we can't tell from this."

* * *

Sakura awoke to the sound of her alarm the next morning. Right from the start she felt something was wrong. The picture of her mother on the wall hadn't changed since the day before. Feelings of déjà vu continued as the morning lessons were almost identical to the day before, except that they went much faster because she already knew the material. Breakfast was the same as the previous day. Syaoran seemed a bit agitated, and he admitted that he had been noticing things too. Meiling, however, thought that they were just being paranoid.

Tomoyo seemed to be her usual self at school. While the classes in school were new to Sakura, Syaoran pointed out after the first period that it had gone the same as the previous day, short of Sakura being kicked out for not paying attention.

In the third period, Tomoyo passed Syaoran a note.

"Why don't you invite Sakura for a private lunch next period? I will tape the lesson for you. Don't forget to forget your lunch. -Tomoyo" After reading the note Syaoran prepared to repeat what he had done before.

"Time for our lunch," Syaoran said. He dragged Sakura out to the tree. Sakura was surprised at his actions. While she had expected an attempted repeat of the previous day, she had expected him to at least somewhat romantic about it as he had the last time. This time, however he just pulled her to him and whispered into her ear, "Keep a look out for that guy. Something weird is going on, and it is time to see if he has anything to do with it."

'"He might not do it this time if you don't make it look good," Sakura whispered back.

"So you do admit that you like when I do that to you," Syaoran smirked.

"What I'd like is for you to..."

"There he is," Syaoran said, "And I think you were right." He turned her around and pinned her against the tree so that she could view the guy who was walking by.

"Rusaki-san." Sakura gasped as Syaoran went to work on her neck, "You were supposed to make it look good before!" Sakura said, "We have to follow him and find out what he's doing."

"Remember, we are being recorded, and I wouldn't be surprised if Tomoyo isn't the only one watching," Syaoran reminded her.

"And you would be right," Touya said, "So I suggest you take your hands off my sister."

"Let's get to class," Sakura said as she began leading Syaoran away as fast as possible. Once inside the school however, she headed to another door and headed out again.

"Going after him?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura nodded. "There is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but I think he has something to do with it."

* * *

"He's gone," Syaoran said after half an hour of searching.

"If he is using a Clow Card, maybe you can track it."

"I would if the board wasn't in my locker," Syaoran replied.

"You really forget everything when you take me out for lunch, don't you?"

Syaoran frowned in response to her statement.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo came running up to her, "Are you okay? I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Everything is fine," Sakura said.

"I was afraid Li had done something," Tomoyo said sheepishly.

"What would make you think that?" Sakura asked as she wondered where such a stupid idea would come from.

"I was watching you through the window and it looked like you were fighting. Then you ran off, but never came to class." She demonstrated her point with a video that showed what appeared to be Li forcing her into an intimate situation by pinning her against the tree.

"You're right. That really doesn't look too good." Sakura agreed.

"So everything is okay?" Tomoyo asked.

"Well if you don't count the day repeating itself and Rusaki getting away, then everything is fine," Syaoran said sarcastically.

"What are you talking about?" Tomoyo asked. She was utterly confused by his statement.

"This day happened yesterday. Except for me and Syaoran, no one notices it."

"Are you sure it's not just a case of déjà vu?" Tomoyo asked. Syaoran responded by quoting word for word the introduction to the lesson he had not been there to see.

"And look at the video. Just before we run off, someone walks by in the background. It was Rusaki Numaru."

"But he's dead," Tomoyo said, shocked.

"No he isn't. We've seen him before too. It was right before the water witch attacked us."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't really seem too important with Syaoran captured by that woman. It just sort of slipped my mind."

"Not that, the ring!" Tomoyo said, "KAWAII!"

* * *

Sakura woke up irritated. The first thing she saw was that, once again, the picture remained the same. She would have to go through the same day again. She sighed and fell back into bed, preferring to have two more hours of sleep than to listen to the same lecture a third time.

At breakfast, with only a look, she could tell that once again Syaoran knew but everyone else was oblivious.

On the way to school, Syaoran said, "Today, we get him." Sakura nodded.

Third period, as had happened for the past two days, Li received the note from Tomoyo suggesting his little lunch date with Sakura.

"Lunch?" He asked simply. Sakura nodded and they headed towards the familiar spot under the tree. Before he could do or say anything, Syaoran found himself pinned against the tree by Sakura's body as she started kissing him.

Naturally, he went along with it until Sakura whispered, "You seen him yet?"

"Seen who?" He asked before resuming his activities. Suddenly Syaoran felt his head snap back and slam against the tree.

"What the hell does a gaki think he's doing touching my sister!"

"Touya!" Sakura cried, "Leave him alone. If you're going to hit someone, it should be the boy who told you where to find us." At this Touya was distracted, and Syaoran used the opportunity to escape his grasp.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked as she was chasing after Syaoran who was running into the school building.

"I am better than okay," He replied with a smile, heading for the nurses office rather than class.

"Your head is bleeding," Sakura said, noticing a trickle of red running down the back of Syaoran's neck.

"It was worth it," He replied. The sound of footsteps running down the hall appeared, growing louder until Meiling came racing around the corner.

"Are you okay, Syaoran?" Meiling asked.

"You were watching?" Sakura asked.

"Yep, and nice work by the way," Meiling winked, causing Sakura to blush profusely.

"Too nice apparently. Someone couldn't keep their mind on the stake-out," Sakura said to herself.

"This may be a concussion talking, but if it continues like this, I won't mind having the days keep repeating." Syaoran said as he pushed the nurse's office door open.

"I just didn't want Tomoyo to worry again because of what was on her video."

"Well, the only thing she will worry about now is what her camera might be missing," Syaoran grinned.


	48. Timing is Everything

**CH47: Timing is Everything**

* * *

"So you are giving me permission to do whatever I want?" Syaoran asked incredulously as they once again walked to school.

"Within reason," Sakura replied. She saw him blush as his eyes glazed over. "Just make sure I can see clearly so we can be ready this time."

"Don't worry. There are some surprises I'd like to save for our wedding night." Syaoran grinned.

"I haven't said yes yet," Sakura reminded him.

"Exactly, yet, but you plan to."

"I did not say that."

"No, but you implied it," Syaoran grinned, despite the glare Sakura was giving him.

"Maybe I should imply that you should really bring a lunch with you this time."

"I don't know. I might have a hard time remembering."

"Hentai!"

"It is pronounced man. The h word is such an unnecessary addition to the description."

"So you are saying that all guys are like that?"

"Every single one, but I'm only this way for you."

"Tomoyo!" Her friend was waiting at the same place she had been every other time. "Are all guys hentai?"

"Hai," Tomoyo replied without a second thought, "They think about sex every three seconds."

"That's not true," Syaoran protested.

"They did a study and that's what they found."

"It takes much longer than that to have each thought." He said, looking a little embarrassed. Apparently he didn't mind letting Sakura into the inner secrets of a man's mind, as few though as those may be, but discussing such thoughts in front of other girls was just plain embarrassing in a way that didn't feel good.

"I don't think we want to know the truth if it is worse than that," Sakura said, in an attempt to divert the conversation.

"Tomoyo, we're going to skip fourth period today."

"Really..." Tomoyo thought sadly about the note she had carefully worded in order to get a new video of Sakura.

"Don't forget to tape it," Syaoran suggested, "We will be under the tree in the yard."

"Syaoran!" Sakura complained, "She wasn't supposed to know this time."

"Did you see the ring?" Syaoran pointed out.

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

"You'll pay for this," Sakura said.

* * *

"What do you mean no?" Syaoran asked as Sakura pushed him away and turned her back to him, "You said anything within reason."

"I also said you'd pay for what you did this morning."

"Fine," He said, scowling, "Whatever. Sandwich?"

"You actually brought lunch?"

"You implied I should."

"Do you do everything I imply?"

"Within reason," Syaoran shrugged, feigning nonchalance as he handed her a sandwich.

"So this is why you got kicked out of third period?"

"Yeah, there's this nice little deli down the road that I used to eat at a few years ago."

"Where is Rusaki?"

"I don't know," Syaoran said, "Maybe we changed something that needed to happen for him to appear."

"Well something's going to change," Touya interrupted, "If the kaijyuu keeps eating like that, she will grow gigantic and we will run out of food and nothing will stop her rampage."

"Sandwich?" Syaoran offered.

"Sakura is not a kaijyuu." Touya almost dropped the sandwich that Syaoran had given him when Sakura stomped on his foot.

"I have one for Yukito too."

* * *

"Okay, today, exactly like the first time, but go after Rusaki as soon as he appears," Sakura instructed, "We'll definitely get him."

* * *

They left for their 'lunch' and arrived at the tree. "You know lunch has recently become my favorite meal of the day," Syaoran said as he began kissing her. He had learned a lot over their attempts to catch Rusaki. The more he had learned, the easier it was to make Sakura respond. He knew he had done at least one thing right the first time. He worked his way quickly down to her neck and replaced the mark that kept disappearing as the day reset. He could feel Sakura's pulse racing against his cheek as he continued down her neck and buried his nose into her collar. All the while his hands worked their way down her back. She was breathing heavily now and her arms wrapped around his neck. She could deny that she liked this all she wanted, but he could tell she liked it. He slipped his hands under her skirt lifting her up and sandwiching her against the tree.

Suddenly, a cry of pain distracted Sakura from Syaoran's actions and she pushed him away and rushed towards where the cry had come from.

"Stop spying on my sister!" Touya's angry voice called out as Rusaki raced by. He was covering his nose and mouth with his hand. Blood was dripping out between his fingers. Syaoran turned and raced after Rusaki with Sakura following close behind. They caught up with him when he fell to the ground. He was choking and spitting out red and black blood.

"That was a good punch," Rusaki coughed as Syaoran and Sakura approached him.

"Glad it wasn't me this time," Syaoran said as he saw the slightly crooked shape of Rusaki's swollen nose.

"What were you doing at the school?" Sakura asked as she handed Rusaki some tissues to stop the blood.

"I was just walking by and I saw your brother just out of sight of you two and thought it was an excellent opportunity to get this," he pointed to his nose, "to happen to him," he nodded towards Syaoran as he stuck rolled up pieces of the tissues up his nose to try and stop the bleeding. "I didn't think that he would go after me."

"Are you behind the day repeating itself?" Syaoran asked.

Rusaki looked at Syaoran dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

"You don't know do you?" Syaoran asked smirking, "He is too weak to notice it."

"If he's not behind it..."

"We should have recognized it," Syaoran said, "The time card is responsible for this."

"You mean that we went though all of that to catch him and he's not even the one responsible?"

"Admit it; you liked it as much as I did," Syaoran said.

"Think what you want. I have a card to capture," Sakura said as she raced off.

"But we don't even know where it is!" Syaoran called out as he was chasing after her. Neither noticed Rusaki fade away as they ran off.

* * *

"Slow down!" Syaoran called. Even running as fast as he could, Sakura was getting ahead of him thanks to the dash card.

Suddenly, Sakura stopped, giving Syaoran a chance to catch up. "It's here," Sakura said as she looked up at the building before them.

Syaoran followed her gaze, now able to sense the powerful card. "How did you know?" He asked, looking at the familiar clock on the front of the warehouse.

"When we saw the time card before, it was obsessed with this clock. It made sense that it would be here," Sakura replied.

"I suppose you have a plan to catch it as well? Or are we just going to let it keep rewinding us every time we get close?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

"It's time. You can't outrun it. You can't attack it. That leaves only one other option."

"If you can't run or fight, you have to defend, like with the shield card."

"Exactly. Now go get it."

* * *

Now what are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked. Time was going crazy outside of the shield. Sakura and Syaoran could not attack or else they would be affected as well.

"I don't know. Wait until it gets tired?"

"I can't keep the shield up that long. It's already weakening."

"Do you have any better ideas?" He asked.

"One, but I'll need your help. Let me borrow the mirror card."

Syaoran handed the requested card to her. "How is it going to help?" He noticed a smirk on Sakura's face.

"You know, when cards work together you can make new effects," Sakura said, "For example, shadow and through working together can create portals. What do you think will happen if I use the mirror and shield together on time?"

"Instead of blocking his attacks they might reflect them or contain them or they might even make an invulnerable simulacrum of time."

"I'm hoping for one of the first two. Mirror, work with shield and contain the time card!" For a split second, the yellow aura of the time card encroached where they were standing but then it disappeared altogether. The time card sat unmoving, frozen in time by its own power. "Return to the form you were meant to have. Time card!" The time card formed into a card and floated over to Sakura. She signed the card and handed the mirror back to Syaoran. "Arigatou." she said.

* * *

"Let me see the video."

"What video?" Tomoyo asked innocently when Sakura showed up at her house.

"The one you recorded of me and Syaoran today."

"On one condition," Tomoyo said.

"Fine, I admit I liked it," Sakura said; blushing.

"That wasn't the condition, but it will make a nice addition. I just wanted you to model some new outfits I created."

* * *

Syaoran sat in his room, retyping the homework from memory. A beep notified him that he had an e-mail. It was from Tomoyo and had a short video file attached. It appeared to have been shot from one of the security cameras in the entrance to Tomoyo's mansion. It was only four seconds long, but he liked it.

"Fine, I admit I liked it." Syaoran smiled as he heard those words. They had definitely captured the time card in the right repetition of the day.

* * *

"What's the hold up?" Sakura asked.

"Just have to find the right file." Tomoyo replied. She closed her e-mail, and sent the correct video file from her desktop to her DVR.

"Please tell me you had to zoom in a lot to see that." Sakura said after watching the movie.

"Nope. The rest of the class saw it too." Tomoyo said.

"Baka! Hentai!" Sakura cursed, "He'll be sorry he did that."

"Not as sorry as Yamazaki was when Chiharu saw what he was looking at," Tomoyo said as she was rewinding back to where Syaoran had grabbed Sakura's butt and had revealed her panties to the entire school.

"No. He will be much more sorry than that."


	49. Revenge

**CH48: Revenge**

* * *

"If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you."

The words echoed in Syaoran's head. The tortuous phrase that had inflicted anguish upon man since its inception had now been turned on him. He had no idea what he had done. Those had been the only words Sakura had spoken to him in days. He tried flowers, which she had taken without a word. Chocolates had no effect, especially when Kero ended up eating them.

What could have happened since she had gone to Tomoyo's house and the time she had returned home? Had some doppelganger done something so unspeakable that she did not even want to talk to him anymore? He had tried asking Tomoyo, but she had replied that she had promised not to tell. Meiling just laughed at him when he asked. It was a conspiracy. After the third day, she had even taken off the ring. Something was desperately wrong, and he had no idea what it was.

* * *

"You lost it?" Tomoyo asked as Sakura sat sheepishly in her room.

"It was an accident," She replied.

"So just tell him."

"But he thinks he did something horrible, what will he think if I tell him now?"

"Can't you get it back?"

"Yes, in a few days..." Sakura said, "I took it off because me hands were covered in icing from Kero's cupcakes, and I put it on the plate while there was still food on it."

"Kero ate it?"

"He's like a vacuum cleaner; put anything on a plate and he'll put it in his mouth before he knows what it is."

"Well, he gave you two, didn't he, just wear the other one."

"But then he'll think..."

"At least he will know the ring thing isn't his fault," Tomoyo said, "How long were you planning on not talking to him?"

"I figure if he doesn't figure it out by the time I capture the rest of the Clow Cards, I'll tell him and give him a chance to beg for forgiveness," She said, showing the two she had caught in the last few days with almost no effort at all: the glow and the float.

"Sugoi!" Tomoyo said as she watched the green orbs bob around the room, "Aren't you being a little hard on him?" She asked after taping the glow card's effect.

"Well, I was going to give him a hint, but he hasn't asked the right way yet."

* * *

He had exhausted his closest friends, and none of them had any idea. He had tried Sakura's friends, and none of them were sure, though Chiharu indicated that she had an idea of what the problem might be and that he should talk to her. That advice didn't help at all. He had been trying that from the start. She had seemed so happy, only hours before she suddenly became angry with him. He had only one option left to him.

* * *

"Xiao Lang..." Sakura greeted the wolf who entered the room through her window. "I would have expected you to come three days ago to find out why I was so angry."

The wolf looked at her and made a cute puppy dog face. He was gently whimpering.

"Too bad. I'm not telling you," Sakura said resolutely, "Though Syaoran should probably know one thing, I didn't stop wearing the ring because of him."

With a slightly confused look, the wolf leapt onto the bed and laid its head on her lap.

"If you must know, Kero ate it," Sakura's explanation elicited a strange look from the wolf, "Should I wear the other one instead? At least until the one I'm supposed to wear becomes available again."

The wolf licked her hand and wagged its tail.

"I am still going to wait until he figures out what he did and makes up for it before I say another word to him. If he watched Tomoyo's videos from that day, he might notice what he did." Sakura hinted. She stroked the wolf's fur, gently playing with its ears.

The wolf began to lick her face and neck.

"Stop! That tickles," She said as the wolf knocked her down and continued its assault, "So, you want to play rough, do you?" She wrapped her arms around the wolf's torso, pulling her face against the wolf's neck. "Let's see you slobber all over my face now!" She flipped both herself and the wolf over and now sat astride its chest, pinning its front paws against its head. The wolf began to shake its head back and forth wildly. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked, "Don't like being beaten by a girl?"

The wolf answered her question by sneezing in her face.

"That's disgusting," Sakura wiped her face with the sleeve of her pajamas.

The wolf used this opportunity to wriggle free, knocking her over in the process. Having had its fun, the wolf lay down again and used Sakura's belly as a pillow.

"You, know, I am not really mad anymore, but I have to continue his punishment," Sakura said, "It's not even really for him. If I let up on the punishment, Tomoyo might show the video to someone..."

* * *

Umarut watched the girl and the wolf. He had worked long and hard to set up the plan that would result in his family's pact of vengeance that had been sworn so long ago.

The Create, The Thunder, The Move, and The Twin. He had sought out and captured these cards in particular. Now, all that was left was to lure the Li heir into his trap and take everything he had ever loved away from him. He could not enter the Li home because they were too well protected, but he knew how to lure them out.

"Ouhte." He summoned lightning that danced along the perimeter of the property, creating cracks in the pavement in direct view of the window. At the same time he let his aura flare powerfully.

* * *

Sakura awoke to Li's form shaking her. She tried to ignore him by rolling over and covering her head with a pillow.

"There's something going on. It might be a Clow Card," Li said. This attracted her attention. The crackling lightning outside thundered loudly. There were also flashes of golden light. Sakura yawned and rubbed her eyes, noting that the wolf was standing there waiting for her at the window.

"I'm coming," She replied, as she sleepily grabbed the cards and activated her wand. "Jump!" Sakura leapt out the window and landed on the wall surrounding the property. The lightning disappeared from before her and reappeared further away, taking the form of a large cat that raced away from them.

Sakura, Li, and the wolf raced after the speedy creature which zipped from point to point in the blink of an eye and then waiting as if it wanted them to follow.

"Something weird is going on here," Syaoran said, "The Thunder is an attack card. It should be acting aggressively." They followed the creature into some woods where it continued its game. They chased it to a gorge where it crossed a rickety looking bridge that was barely wide enough for a single person to cross.

"Return," Rusaki Numaru appeared at the other side of the bridge out of a black fog.

"Ouhte!" Lightning struck from behind them, forcing Sakura, Syaoran and the wolf onto the bridge. They were surrounded. Ahead of them was Rusaki Numaru. Behind them was Rukadin Umarut.

"Sakura, throw me your wand then walk towards me," Rusaki instructed.

"Any other movements, and the bridge will fall."

"Why don't I just take you both out now?" Sakura asked, "Then you won't have a chance of attacking."

"Because the ropes holding the bridge up have already been cut. It is my will only that keeps it from dropping you all into the abyss." To demonstrate, he released his spell for a second and the bridge dropped several feet. "Wrj!" The bridge returned to its original position.

"Go. Sakura. We'll be fine," Syaoran said, "He does not want us dead. If he did, he would have dropped us already. He is after something else."

"You are smarter than you look," Umarut said, "Of course we don't want to kill you. We want to break you."

"At least let the wolf come with me," Sakura begged.

"No. He stays."

"Just go."

"Are you sure?"

"Every plan has a weakness. Just do as they say until you find it."

Sakura threw the wand over to Rusaki and obediently walked over to him.

"Ouhte!" Umarut called down lightning, shattering the ends of the bridge until there was no room for Syaoran or the wolf to move.

"Our magic is powerful and has been able to capture many cards, but one was too powerful for us. Even when we defeated it, it refused to be sealed." Numaru explained in classic villain fashion, "This card is possibly even more powerful than the elementals, and it has some interesting properties. Since we were unable to capture it, we needed to either bring Li to it, or find a way to get it to come to him. The latter was much more convenient to our plans."

"Create! Move!" Umarut summoned the cards together.

"Come closer, Sakura." She did as instructed, "Jwwle!" Sakura suddenly could not move. Her momentum carried her forward, falling slowly into Numaru's embrace, and his kiss. She tried to resist, but her muscles wouldn't respond.

"Bring forth the darkness," Umarut commanded.


	50. The Light That Mends A Broken Heart

**CH49: The Light That Mends a Broken Heart**

* * *

"Sakura..." Li watched in horror as Sakura walked up to Numaru and threw herself into his kiss. When the darkness surrounded him, it was welcome for sparing him from the sight. He could not see anything, not even himself. There was nothing to distract him from seeing the images that raced through his mind. There was nothing to stop him from reliving that horrible moment. They had said they wanted him broken. They had succeeded.

* * *

"Syaoran!" Sakura broke free of Rusaki's spell too late. Syaoran was gone, hidden behind a veil of darkness. "What have you done to him?"

"He's fine," Rusaki assured her, "physically, but the dark card, in addition to creating perfect darkness, also amplifies any negative feelings and thoughts, causing them to fester and grow more powerful. By the time he gets out, he will not have the will to resist and everything his family has will belong to us the moment he takes his place as the leader of the clan."

"There's one little flaw in your plan." Sakura said, "He must be married to take the position of leadership. If he thinks I am in love with you, how will that ever happen?"

"We have a sister." He replied smugly, "This plan is perfect. Onee-chan will marry the broken Syaoran and control him so that we gain possession of the Li legacy, and you will marry me, allowing our own legacy to remain in our family."

"Why would you want that?"

"You are beautiful, powerful, intelligent, and most importantly, the magical contract of our duel is binding, so I must, or else we will have to relinquish everything to you. We managed to create a temporary measure to stave off giving everything over to you by putting it in a trust that will be bequeathed to you upon your eighteenth birthday."

"I will never do it." Sakura said angrily and glared at Rusaki.

"Yes you will. You love your fiancé, don't you? We will make sure his life is miserable unless you do as we wish."

"I would rather live the rest of my life poor and alone than to ever marry you." Sakura said deathly quietly. "You say I love him. Maybe I do, because I will never let you hurt him!" Sakura was yelling now, her fists were clenched angrily. In a burst of anger, her knee flew up impacting Rusaki's groin powerfully. He gasped in pain as he grabbed his injured organ and fell to the ground. Sakura took her wand from him and turned to defend herself from Umarut. To her surprise, he was also on the ground clutching his crotch in pain.

"Bitch." They groaned in unison as they struggled to their knees.

"Anubis, lord of the dead, grant me power." Numaru said as Umarut stood up. His flesh started to ripple and bulge until he became an exact duplicate of Rukadin Umarut.

"You..." Sakura looked at the boy who now bulged with muscle and crackled with a dark energy, "You're the same. You were the one who did everything!"

"I am surprised you didn't figure it out sooner." He said.

"Who are you?"

"I am Rukadin Umarut, descendant of Marut, God of Egypt who was brother and prime minister to Harut, the Pharaoh of Egypt. You already know part of the story; it's the one I gave to Yamazaki to introduce you with at the talent show. What he didn't say was that after Clow Reed did greater feats of magic than Harut, the people turned on him. The called him a false God and killed both him and his sons. All traces of his lineage were cut off. For this, Marut swore revenge against Clow Reed and all of his descendants. That revenge takes place now. We were just going to break him, but now, we will let him fester and rot until he kills himself to end his despair. Then we will bring him back to life so that he can serve us!"

"You think you are gods? You believe you can do anything you want to whomever you want? You are the most despicable people I have ever met! I have never wanted to hurt anyone before, but you... You would let someone die for something someone else did? I can't and won't let it happen. If you are going to be Syaoran's darkness, then I will be his light!"

* * *

"Sakura..." Li could see her. It wasn't in his mind. She wasn't betraying him. She was fighting for him. He could see her glowing. She was emitting a pure white light like an angel. She was the only thing in his world now. He tried to move towards her, but no matter how fast he ran he couldn't get any closer. "Sakura!" He yelled. He was hoping that she could hear him. He could not even hear himself. One torture had been replaced with another. The one thing that he most wanted was before him and he could do nothing to go after it. He couldn't help her. She was fighting and he couldn't protect her.

* * *

"Shield!" Sakura wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold the two Umaruts off. They were by no means weak, and she was getting tired. "Shot Card!" The glowing pink ball of light flew out of The Shield and began to fire.

"Bastet, keep me from harm!" One Umarut sat there and let the Shot Card shoot at his own shield while the other kept up his attack.

"Silent!" Sakura hoped that they would not have the power to cast their spells without calling them out. The magical barrages instantly ceased, but Umarut immediately began physical assaults against the shield. In the form he was in, his strength was incredible and her shield began to crack. Had she not been maintaining three cards at once, she might have been able to hold out longer, but her shield failed with another strike. She began to run, dodging Umarut's strikes. He was getting tired as well. The Shot Card was taking a toll on him. Each time it fired, the blast became a little stronger. If she could last long enough she could win, but with her magic draining quickly, and a physically superior opponent attacking her, there was no way she would last the way she was now. Her only chance was to go somewhere where they wouldn't follow.

"Jump!" She leapt right into the center of the darkness.

* * *

She was coming right towards him, flying gracefully through the air. She was standing right in front of him. He could almost... He could touch her!

"Syaoran?" Her voice was speaking to him. It was like music. He had missed it so much. She wasn't looking at him. Why couldn't she see him?"

"Sakura!" He called out, but his voice made no sound. Her hands stretched out towards him, feeling around for his presence. He reached out and grabbed one of the searching hands. It was faint, but he could just barely see his own hand as she held it. She followed his arm to his body, wrapped her arms around him and held him. He returned the gesture, holding her to him as tightly as he could. He wished that they could remain like that forever. It was like heaven. It was just the two of them together and nothing else. Everything else could die and burn in hell for all he cared. He had her and that was more than enough.

"I shouldn't have left you alone." She said. She was trembling. What was wrong? "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." He said, surprised that his voice had actually been audible.

"I couldn't move." She said, "It was some sort of spell." She was breathing heavily and her grip on him was loosening.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," She said, "Just a bad taste in my mouth." She kissed him, "That's better." The silent and shot cards flew into the darkness. "It seems they're done." She said weakly, "He thought I would actually let you marry his sister. You already promised that to someone else."

"Sakura, I always keep my promises." He held her to him and she smiled. The darkness began to recede and light took its place until they were in balance and finally coalesced into two twin figures. They were regal looking women. One was composed of darkness and the other of light.

"Thank you for reuniting us." They said, "There are some things that cannot exist without the other. Without light there is no darkness, and without darkness there is no light. We are all meant to be together. Please reunite us with our friends." Syaoran stood up and helped the weakened Sakura to stand upright and to seal the two cards. By the time the cards were sealed, Sakura had fallen asleep. She was drained from the amount of magic that she had used. Syaoran looked up to see the hints of morning light peeking over the trees. He signed the two cards with her name and added them to her collection.

Syaoran looked around. He saw that there was no chasm or bridge. It must have been an illusion. He saw Rusaki lying on the ground a dozen feet away. The boy had a large hole in the center of his chest. Syaoran searched the boy's body and took the cards that he found: The Create, The Move, The Thunder, The Twin, The Cloud, and The Sweet. He had been busy to have captured so many cards on his own without being noticed.

"Erase!" Unfamiliar Egyptian characters disappeared from the faces of the cards and he replaced them with the Chinese characters of his own name before adding them to his own cards. "Sakura suffered through the guilt of this once, you won't hurt her like that again. This time, you aren't coming back. Fire!" The body burned until even the bones had been consumed. Syaoran picked up the sleeping Sakura and began to walk back home.

* * *

"Kero, I know we have never gotten along too well, but we are probably going to have to learn to get along. You are the guardian beast and you are sworn to protect the cards and their master. You will always be with her, but I will also always be with her because I love her. I thought maybe we could start off again, and forget our differences." Syaoran offered Kero a bowl of pudding that was topped with chocolate shavings and a cherry.

"Well, if we are going to spend a lot of time together anyways." Kero began to wolf down the pudding and Syaoran smiled as Kero finished every last drop.

"By the way, :I added a special ingredient." Syaoran said. Kero didn't have time to figure out what Syaoran had meant as his stomach started to churn uncomfortably, forcing him to rush to the bathroom.

* * *

When Sakura woke up, it was almost noon. On her finger was the familiar cherry blossom ring. Syaoran was sleeping on a nearby chair. As she looked up to where her mother's picture was usually displayed, she saw instead that there was a short video playing of Syaoran in front of the school as the students were arriving. Syaoran dropped his pants revealing a pair of boxers that had the message 'I'm sorry, Sakura' written on them.

Sakura walked over to Syaoran and kneeled on the chair, sitting on his knees. This woke Syaoran up as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"A guy could get used to waking up like this."

"I hope you don't get used to it too quickly. I'd hate to think what I'd have to go through to accept enough apologies for you to feel this isn't special."

"Every moment with you is special. So I hope I get used to feeling special real fast, because that just means I get to spend more time with you." He replied drowsily.

"Arigatou, Syaoran." She said as he fell back into sleep, "Aishiteru."


	51. Angel Of Death

**CH50: Angel of Death**

* * *

Sakura looked down from a building as pure blue light was emitted from the water shrine. The Clow Cards rained down from the sky. "Jump." Sakura landed in front of the shrine to see a figure standing there. The person had long hair, but Sakura could not see their face. Another figure was watching from further away. She could not see their face either.

"Soon," The first figure said as it spread beautiful, white, angelic wings and rose into the air onto the backdrop of a large blue hued full moon.

* * *

Sakura woke up. The dream was so similar to what she had dreamt before Mizuki-sensei had arrived. This one was different; there had been two figures in this dream. It was a prophetic dream. She had begun to recognize them easily, even when she could not see them clearly. This time there were two things apparent to her. First, someone new was coming, and second, it would happen in one week when the moon was full.

"Sakura?" It was Syaoran.

"Come in." He entered.

"What was it this time?" He asked.

"Someone with wings at the shrine under the full moon," She said.

"Yue." Kero had woken up.

"The moon guardian?" Syaoran asked.

"Who's Yue?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing," Kero said as he turned over and pretended to sleep.

"Kero's the sun guardian. There is another, but no one knows what his purpose is. We only know that his aspect is the moon," Syaoran explained.

* * *

The day was uncharacteristically cold that day and light flurries had begun to litter the ground with delicate white flakes.

"It's spring, why has snow come now?" Sakura asked. She was shivering slightly as she walked to school with Syaoran whose arm was wrapped around her. By the amount he was shivering, Sakura suspected that it was as much for his warmth as for hers, if not more. Meiling was bundled up so much that Sakura was surprised that the girl could even move. She was clinging to Syaoran's other arm as if trying to steal any warmth he might offer. As they arrived at the spot that Tomoyo usually met them, they found Tomoyo's pink limousine awaiting their arrival. They gratefully accepted an invitation to join Tomoyo in the heated vehicle which sported among other things an apparatus which enabled Tomoyo to offer them hot chocolate to warm up.

"Arigatou." Sakura accepted the steaming hot beverage from her friend. Meiling, less politely grabbed the mug offered to her and gulped it down as quickly as possible to allow the heat to warm her from the inside out. This was a mistake because the drink was more than hot enough to burn her tongue and she was forced to drink some ice cold milk which, while relieving the burning, undid the warming effect of the previously imbibed liquid.

The ride was slow, as the car was not outfitted for snowy weather due to its rarity. The driver, while going little faster than had they walked, was fighting for control of the vehicle as it slipped and slid along the slick snow-covered surface of the road.

Half way to the school, the snow had really begun to pile up. The falling flakes were as large as cherry blossoms and were now half a foot deep. The wind had created drifts that were waist deep along walls and post boxes.

"This isn't right," Syaoran said as the car fishtailed around a corner, sliding into the wrong lane before the driver could right the vehicle's course.

The separator between the driver and passenger portions of the vehicle lowered. "The radio reports that school has been canceled." The woman driving the vehicle informed them, "There is no indication of when the storm will stop. Daidouji-sama has requested that you be returned home immediately. The roads are very dangerous, so your friends will be returning with us until the storm passes and arrangements can be made for them to return home."

"Arigatou Laishi-san," Tomoyo said politely, "Please do as Okaa-san instructed." With that, the separator was once again returned to its original position.

It wasn't long before the snow became so deep that the limousine ceased being able to move through it.

"The door is stuck," Sakura said as she attempted to exit the vehicle. Li tried to ram the door open, but it only move a few centimeters, just enough to let the cold wind chill the warm passenger cabin of the car.

"Cold!" Meiling complained and wrapped herself even tighter in her bundles of warm clothing.

A loud thud rocked the car.

"What was that?" Another thud was followed by the car tilting backwards as metal screeched and tore.

"We have to get out of here," Li said, "or the next one will be right on top of us."

"Shield!" The pink bubble encased the teens just in time. The next hit glanced off the shield, tearing the roof and door from the vehicle and crumpling them to scrap. Another hit came, this time from the side. The shield containing them was pushed through the undamaged side of the car and slamming them into a brick wall where the shield shattered.

"Force strike!" Li sent a wave of energy along the path their flight had burrowed in the snow. Half way back to the car, there was a flash, as something fell and rolled towards them at high speed. "Loop!" Instead of hitting them, the object instead crashed into a lamp post that fell on top of it.

"You got it!"

"No I didn't. Look out!" The creature that appeared as a short pink girl stood up, easily lifting the heavy concrete lamp post and launching it at them. Luckily, The Loop was still in effect and the post ended up flying back to hit the pink girl right in the face.

"This must be the Power Card," Sakura said, rushing towards the card that appeared to be momentarily stunned by its own blow, "Return to the form you were meant to have... Hoee!" The card caught her wand mid-swing and used it to launch the attached Sakura into the snow bank.

"Freeze!" Syaoran formed a block of ice around the card to distract it and slow it down. This did not last long, as the ice immediately began to crack, quickly splintering off the card. This did however stop it from going after Sakura as it turned its attention to Li instead. The card rushed toward him. The walls of snow on either side gave him nowhere to run, and even if he did, manage to escape, Tomoyo and Meiling were right behind him and would certainly take the blow if he managed to avoid it. He braced himself for the attack.

"Float!" The Power lightly lifted off the ground. With nothing to push off against, its blow was much weaker, but still enough to knock Syaoran roughly to the ground. If not for the snow, the landing from such a blow would have caused a lot of damage. The Power tried to punch again but, floating in the air, it had no leverage at all and the only thing it accomplished was pushing itself backwards a few inches with each strike. The ineffectiveness of its strikes frustrated the card so much that it did not notice Sakura come from behind ready to seal it. "Return to the form you were meant to have! Power Card!"

"Arigatou, Sakura," Li said, as he struggled through the snow towards her. Tomoyo was following behind and filming every second. Suddenly, Tomoyo dropped the camera.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, Tomoyo's eyes had gone wide and her face was pale as she looked towards the car. A piece of shrapnel was sticking through the car door, slowly dripping blood onto the pristine white snow.

"Laishi-san!"

"Syaoran, do something about the snow!" Sakura tried to make her way to the car as Tomoyo stood watching in shock.

Syaoran grunted in acknowledgment. "Fiery" The snow quickly disappeared, though it was still falling quickly.

"Sword!" Sakura quickly and methodically cut open the driver's side of the car. This revealed the extent of the bodyguard's injuries. Her head had hit the bulletproof glass of the windows, knocking her out cold and causing a nasty looking bump that was bleeding profusely. There was also a shard of metal from the body of the car that had pierced through the back the driver's seat, through the bodyguard's side and finally through the door. Sakura cut the protruding ends of the metal from the woman's body in order to free her, but there was still the piece of metal impaling her to worry about. Sakura didn't know what to do. "Should we pull it out?" Sakura asked nervously, looking shakily at the blood covered piece of pink colored steel.

"No!" Meiling shivered, "Because it's still there, it's holding back the bleeding. You can't remove it or she'll die. We need an ambulance."

"The snow is piling up too fast; an ambulance will never get here," Syaoran said. "If she is to have any hope of surviving, we have to stop the snow." He turned to Sakura, "Stay here and help Tomoyo, I'll handle the snow."

"Hai." she agreed, though the sight of the injured woman made Sakura feel sick. Laishi Lin had always been around Tomoyo, like a second mother to her after her parents had divorced. She couldn't leave her friend now. "Meiling, what do I do?" She asked as Syaoran ran off.

"There's been an accident, we need an ambulance." Meiling was busy on her phone.

"It'll be okay," Sakura assured Tomoyo who stood in shock.

"We've got to keep her warm." Meiling told Sakura before returning to her conversation with the emergency operator. Sakura placed fire ofudas around the woman. "If the snow doesn't clear up soon, it might be a while before the ambulance can reach us here."

* * *

Syaoran could see the card far above him in the clouds, but had no way of reaching it. He pulled out two cards, mimicking the trick that Umarut had used to bring the dark card to him. "Create! Move!" The Book of Create and a feather quill appeared in his hands.

"The Snow Card came to Syaoran." He wrote. The words disappeared and the snow formed in front of him.

"Storm!" The Snow was caught up in a whirlwind that prevented it from spreading out its clouds to create snow, but it was accumulating snow in the center of The Storm and would soon be too strong for The Storm to handle. "Fiery!" The Storm became a pillar of fire that rose up into the sky. It was much flashier than he intended, but time was of the essence. The Fiery quickly did the job defeating the snow which transformed back into its card state to avoid the fiery barrage that gave it no other escape. "Melt the snow." Syaoran ordered. The fiery complied, rapidly clearing the snow.

* * *

"What happened?" The paramedic asked looking at the wreckage of the car as Laishi was placed on a stretcher and back of the ambulance.

"We got stuck in the snow, and... something hit us," Meiling explained. The man looked skeptical of the rushed explanation, but the driver's injuries were too severe to ignore. Tomoyo boarded the ambulance with Laishi and it left.

"Daidouji-sama is expecting us." Sakura said. She pulled out her own cell phone and dialed Tomoyo's home number. "There was an accident," She explained as soon as the phone was picked up." After a moment's pause responded, "Tomoyo is fine, but the driver was injured badly." Sakura listened for a second. "Hai. Abayo."

"Erase!"

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked as the car disappeared.

"You saw how the paramedic looked at the car. He didn't believe it was an accident at all. How are you going to explain the sword cuts and the fact that there was even more damage to the passenger cabin and yet we are all uninjured?"

"What will we tell Tomoyo's mother when she sees that the car isn't here? She's coming to drive use to the hospital and see Tomoyo."

"Create!" He created a pink limousine exactly like the one they had ridden in, but instead of being completely mangled, this one had a large dent in the driver's side door, including one piece that was torn so that it pierced through the driver's seat. It looked much more like a traditional car wreck. "This is only temporary." He said, "Take a picture with your phone."

"Rusaki-san, had that card. How did you get it?" Sakura asked after a moment.

"I took it from him." Syaoran said.

"He would have never given it to you. He hated you."

"He didn't have a choice. He was dead," Syaoran replied. Sakura looked shocked. "I killed him," Syaoran added, not wanting her to go through the guilt again. Sakura looked even more shocked at this. Syaoran did not even have to fake the look of guilt, even though he was trying to protect her, he had told her a straight up lie for the first time.

* * *

"Daidouji-san, Laishi-san did not make it," Sakura heard the doctor say. It was another death on her hands. She felt Tomoyo's eyes glaring accusingly at her. She felt horrible and wished that she could just disappear.

"This is all your fault," Tomoyo whispered to Sakura before running to be embraced by her mother. That struck Sakura deeply. It was true. This really was her fault. She was the one who had released the cards, but she had never wanted anyone to be hurt. She had hurt people. First there was Rusaki, who she had killed with her own hands. Then there was Syaoran and herself who had been sent to the hospital on several occasions. Meiling had become sick as well because she had released the cards. Now, someone who was as much a mother to her best friend as her real mother had been had died after hours in an operating room all because of her.

She had also found that her almost fiancé, the boy she had fallen in love with was actually a killer. She stopped at that thought. Something just didn't make any sense. Syaoran wasn't that kind of person. He had too much self control. She was the one who hurt people. The shot card! It had returned while they were still in the dark. It had finished, which meant that it had shot and probably killed him. That meant that Syaoran had lied to her. He had hid some things, but as far as she knew he had never lied to her before.

She couldn't stand it. It felt like everyone hated her. She ran from the hospital, and kept running, despite Syaoran's pleas for her to wait.

* * *

Syaoran wandered the city looking for several hours. It was getting dark now. Every so often he could feel her aura flare. He followed it to the park. On the bench where he had first proposed to her sat a pile of Clow Cards, prevented from blowing away by the familiar box that he had presented to Sakura on that very spot.


	52. Heart of the Wolf

**CH51: Heart of the Wolf**

* * *

Sakura was definitely nearby. She would not have left these things here if there was any chance at all that anyone else could have picked them up. Syaoran grabbed them just to be safe. He checked the ring box and found both halves to be there.

"Sakura! I know you're here somewhere," Syaoran called out before waiting to see if she would answer, "Please talk to me," He waited to hear from her. She didn't answer, but after a minute, Syaoran thought he could hear the muffled sounds of heavy breathing as if someone was trying not to cry. "Sakura..." He said again and began walking towards her. The breathing went silent. He walked around, and sure enough, she sat on the other side and was leaning against the tree.

"Isn't it about time you ran off somewhere?" She asked.

Syaoran glanced towards the horizon. The last slivers of sunlight were about to disappear. Syaoran didn't know what to do. It was time, but he was afraid that if he left, even for a moment, she'd run off again. "I..."

"Don't bother trying to make an excuse," Sakura said, "One lie was enough for today. You'd probably just let the mirror card pretend to be you again anyway."

"You figured it out?" He asked.

"It wasn't hard, you made too many mistakes," Sakura said, "But none as bad as mine."

"How long have you known?" He asked.

"I first suspected it when we had or first encounter with the time card, but back then I really didn't know for sure. The mysterious pain as we fast-forwarded through the evening, and then you made me go on ahead on my own before reappearing with the wolf. Your auras were different.

"I kept trying to figure out who it was. Everyone in the Li family knew who it was. And he often used what appeared to be the Li ofuda magic. That combined with the fact that your mother would willingly let me choose the wolf boy over you really made me suspicious, but I couldn't prove anything.

"When we went on the hot springs field trip, you almost through me off with the trick you did with the loop card, and I would have fallen for it too if you hadn't looped me into a building without a window. There was also your lame excuse; injured or not, you never run from a fight that I am still in, and you certainly don't get lost. You could have found me easily with all the power I had been throwing around.

"All that was left after that was to prove it. When we faced the time card again, I tricked you into letting me use the mirror card, the first card that the wolf captured when you were no longer around. He may have been your friend, and your spy, but he had been going after the Clow Cards even before you did. He didn't seem like the type to just give them up."

"I was going to tell you," Li said. "I thought I'd let you get used to me first."

"Wanted me to love you, I know. A cute pair of ears and a furry tail just doesn't do the same thing to a girl that a human boy does."

"I never lied to you about it though," Syaoran said as he began to feel the slight itching in his skin and tingling in his muscles that meant the change was starting. He grunted in pain as it went, pulling off his shirt so that it wouldn't be destroyed as it often was during the transformations. Sakura was looking at him. It was embarrassing. His condition, while no secret among his family had been kept hidden away. Very few people had ever actually seen his transformation. Meiling had only ever seen it once, and that had been when they were much younger and he had accidentally stayed out too late with her. His parents and sisters had seen it on several occasions as they had known him as a baby. The elders had probably seen it as well not long after he was born. Their old family physician, Dr. Ling Kue, had seen it as well. The curse was one of the many reasons that they paid for a personal family physician. Now one more person was being added to that short list.

"I am kind of glad," he panted, "I don't have to hide it anymore." His features finally finished their painful reassembly.

"Your eyes don't change," Sakura pointed out emotionlessly. "They always look at me the same. How do I know if you've been lying to me about everything?"

"I've only lied you once," The wolf responded clearly, "And that time was because I wanted to protect you... Obviously I failed."

"You can talk?" She sounded really surprised. It was the first emotion she'd shown since she had looked at him. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"It was easier to hide this way," Syaoran said.

"All those times, I assumed you couldn't talk because you kept acting like a dog. Add another tick to the 'mistakes I've made' list," Her surprise faded into despair. "I really did kill him..." She said.

"Maybe you did, but he's come back from that before. I was the one who made sure he couldn't come back again when I destroyed his body."

"It doesn't matter. He was still dead because of me. It was a direct result of what I did. I could have handled it. He was kind of evil. But now an innocent person has lost their life because of what I've done. I can't forgive myself for that."

"It's not your fault. It was an accident," Syaoran assured her.

"It was all my fault!" Sakura retorted, "I was the one who unleashed them, and it was my job to stop them before people got hurt."

"And you've done a great job. You've captured almost all of them. There's only a few left. Some people are hurt, and some are dead, but it would have been a lot worse if you hadn't done anything."

"That's not what Tomoyo said."

"That doesn't mean it's true," Syaoran insisted, "You've done nothing but try to help people, but when people close to you are hurt, or die, you have to find someone, or something, to blame. It's the only way to deal with things without them overwhelming us." He paused to nuzzle her, encouraging her to let herself cry. It was what she needed. She gladly accepted his offer and buried her face into the thick fur on his neck.

"People like us are always up front and in the action. When we see something is wrong, we have to do something about it. We get things done, but when things go wrong, we blame ourselves, feeling that if only we hadn't done something, or maybe tried a bit harder, things would have worked out. We can't change the past though. Tomoyo is different. Only a few people are the actors, everyone else is in the audience. Tomoyo is part of the crowd. Admittedly, she stands out more than most, but she is still not in the play. While we do our parts, she cheers from the sidelines. When something goes wrong, she isn't involved, so she blames the actors, she blames us. This isn't because it was our fault, it's because there was no one else. If it had been part of an evil plot, she could have blamed the villain, but you were the only one there. You were the heroine that saved the day. You saved her, and Meiling, and especially me. All three of us would have been dead if not for you. You may not have been able to save everyone, but you did save three people today and that's a lot more than you would have if you hadn't even tried. So now you have a choice. You can give up and become a spectator, watching and blaming others when bad things happen, or you can work hard and do your best to prevent bad things from happening again."

"Or cause more bad things to happen when I fail."

"You're not a failure," Li growled. "And I won't let anyone say otherwise, not even you. I know you, and you are going to get over this. I used to blame myself for my father's death, and I still do. I was being selfish that day: I had wanted him to hurry home so that I could train with him. I don't know whether he was speeding, or if he was distracted from his driving because I had begged him to hurry home so he could teach me how to use the gift he'd given me before he left, or maybe someone else was completely at fault, but my conversation delayed him just long enough that he was the one who died in the accident. Somehow, I felt like my actions were what had resulted in my father's death, and even though I know that it wasn't really my fault and that I could never have known this would happen, I still blamed myself, and I still do."

"You weren't the one who put the driver who killed your father behind the wheel, but I was the one who released the card that killed Laishi-san. I was the one who was supposed to stop it, and I was the one who failed to protect her, and couldn't help her in time."

"And what if it wasn't you? Clow left the book and he knew the cards would be scattered and that they would cause a lot of trouble. If he didn't know, he never would have left the sealing wand to help. He intended to have the cards scattered; if it's anyone's fault that they are free, it's his, or maybe it's Kero's fault for not being as vigilant as he could have been in protecting the cards. Should Clow not have sealed the cards in the first place? Then they would all still be wreaking havoc. Should Kero have been more careful? Maybe, but over five hundred years, and only one slip up isn't too bad.

"Should you not have opened the book? No. I would hate to think about what would happen to the world if anyone else had been the one chosen. Other people would constantly abuse the magic for personal gain. Others might even use it to purposefully hurt people. Still others would not care at all, and just let the cards roam wild. You're not like that. You're the only person I know who would cry if their worst enemy got hurt. You work really hard to keep everyone safe from the cards. You've taken responsibility to recapture them so that as much pain is prevented as possible. What could you have done different? You barely managed to protect the rest of us. If you had extended the shield any further, none of us would have survived, and you wouldn't even be here to be sad about it, and that woman would still be dead. If you think you could do better if you were stronger, then train to be stronger and do better, but don't give up, because without you we would all be worse off."

"Tomoyo still hates me," Sakura responded, "What can I do about that?"

"Nothing," Syaoran replied, "All you can do is wait. She knows that it isn't really your fault and she'll eventually get over it, but I don't know how long it could take. It could be hours, it could be years, or maybe she'll never get over it in this life. Truthfully, I don't care what she thinks. I know you would have done whatever you could have to stop it from happening. Bad things have happened, but you are still the same girl I fell in love with. When I proposed to you, I said that I wanted you to be happy. I am no expert, but you sure as hell don't look happy now, and you'll never really be happy again if you give up now."

"You're probably right. But it doesn't make this any easier to deal with. You're the stubborn, arrogant, rich, violent guy who wouldn't hurt a fly if it didn't threaten those he cared about, and I'm the soft, compassionate, well wishing, murderer."

"That murder saved my life. It may sound selfish and arrogant, but I much prefer having myself live than some sadistic revenge seeker who threatens everything I work for and care about."

"If that's selfish, then I guess I am selfish too."

"It's a good thing too, or else my overwhelming desire to spoil you rotten would be sorely misplaced. Now take your stuff, and let's go do something fun."

"It wouldn't be right. I can't have fun when my friends are suffering."

"How can you take away that suffering if you are suffering with them? Your cheerful smile is what we need more than anything else."

"I haven't felt much like smiling today," Sakura said.

"Then I'll give you a reason," Syaoran assured her, sticking his cold wet nose into the bottom of her shirt and rubbing it against her belly.

"That tickles," Sakura complained. She was stifling a giggle.

"That's better," Syaoran said upon seeing the little smile on her face, "Now, let's go. You can take me for a walk, or play fetch..."

"Well they do say having a dog is therapeutic," Sakura said scratching him behind the ears.

"That feels great," Syaoran said. He rested his head on her lap and wagged his tail. He rolled over, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth as she scratched his belly.

"You're wearing pants," Sakura pointed out, laughing.

"It's kind of difficult to take them off after I transform. No fingers."

"Is it possible to make you human again?" Sakura asked.

"Sunlight transforms me back, but sometimes a barrier that is powerful enough can make me transform back. Even then, it's not worth the effort. We have barriers that prevent me from transforming in the first place and those are much easier to maintain."

"Do you mind if I do one more selfish thing today?" Sakura asked.

"If it will make you happy, then do it," Li insisted.

"Arigatou," She thanked him. She activated the wand of sealing and picking up the Clow Cards. "Shield!" After a second she added another card, "Light!" Syaoran's body began to transform back into human form, taking energy from the light and being protected from the moon's influence by the shield. Syaoran stretched out his muscles and leaned back against a tree. Sakura leaned over to place her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"A little," She responded.

Syaoran removed a long golden thread that attached to his belt and laid it in a circle around them. "Ring of the golden sun, let Yue's influence here be revoked," Syaoran chanted, causing the thread to turn into a circle of light. "You're tired. Don't waste any more energy on the shield; I can keep my body here for now." Sakura nodded and the card released its protection.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura said softly, "Do you still love me?"

"Hai," He responded immediately, tightening his arms around her for a moment.

"Why?" She asked. "I'm selfish, and a murderer, and I've caused you so much trouble."

"Because you are not selfish. Everything you do for yourself is to make someone else happy. You may have killed, but you aren't a murderer, you're a protector. Being with you is worth more than any trouble you could ever cause."

"Is that all?"

"Being the most beautiful girl in the world doesn't hurt either," Syaoran said. This caused Sakura to blush.

"You've thought about this a lot."

"Hai."

"You're warm."

"Good, that means I haven't frozen to death out here sitting around without a shirt on."

"That's not what I meant," Sakura said. "No matter what, you are always warm... It's hard to explain."

"It's nice to know that I can be replaced with a space heater," He said.

"Warm on the inside. It feels good, like nothing else can touch me when you hold me like this. I am not brave at all, if you hadn't been there, I would have never had the courage to capture the cards. I couldn't do anything on my own. I probably would have died that night when I got lost in the city if you hadn't come. You saved me, even though I ran from you and got you into trouble. Those men..."

"I killed them. Don't even think of blaming yourself."

"You wanted to kill them, but you could have easily stopped them without giving them worse than a few broken bones."

"And I would do it again," Li said resolutely.

"You feel no remorse for the deaths you caused, so why do I feel so safe with you?"

"I fought to protect you. Those men were not worthy of living. I hated them for what they were doing to you, I didn't realize how I felt for a while, but my feelings gave me no choice but to hate anyone who would consider doing something so horrible to you."

"Do you hate Tomoyo," Sakura asked.

"Hai," He responded guiltily, "But, she made you cry. I understand why she did it, but until she stops hurting you, I will continue to hate her."

"That's terrible."

"I also hate myself. I've done things that have hurt you too. Until I know that you have forgiven me for everything, and are happy being with me, I can never forgive myself for the things I've done to you."

"You haven't done anything to hurt me, you always protect me."

"I hurt you when I didn't greet you properly. I hurt you when I hid the truth from you. I hurt you when I used the Libra to embarrass you, and even if you didn't realize it. I hurt you when I woke you up by dumping you in cold water because I knew it would let me see through your pajamas."

"If I remember correctly, you smirked right at my face when you did that. You never even let your eyes wander."

"But I had intended to. I also played a lot of other tricks on you, and tried to steal the cards from you."

"You felt guilty and apologized for everything though."

"I'm even more the selfish, murdering troublemaker than you, so you have no right to think that way about yourself."

"You are always keeping me out of trouble. You have saved my life so often, that I've lost count. And if making me happy is what makes you selfish, then you are the most selfish person I know."

"Do I really make you happy?"

"Hai," Sakura said. "When you were trapped in the dark card, Rusaki said that he was going to break you and I was afraid. I thought I would lose the warmth I feel when you hold me, that you would lose the ability to be courageous and it would take my courage away. I was afraid that he would win and that I would be forced to marry him, and even worse, be forced to see you marry his sister. You were alone in the dark, and I wanted to give you light. I wanted to be there for you so you would have reason to fight and not give up, so I could always feel that warmth."

"Sakura," Syaoran whispered, resting his face in the crook of her neck and breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.

"You made me a promise a while ago. You said that you would tell me who the wolf was, when I said aishiteru. Now, I know who the wolf is, so I owe you something." She picked up the box, and opened it. "I still want… I want the cherry blossom to come together with the little wolf."

"Aishiteru, Sakura." Syaoran said, taking the ring from the box and sliding it onto her finger where its' two halves locked together.

"Aishiteru," She replied.

"You know, you can never take that off now."

"Hoee!" She tried to remove the ring, but it wouldn't budge.

"Now Kero will never eat it again as long as I live."

"You put a spell on the ring? Baka!"

"More than one."


	53. Misty Tears, Friends No More

**CH52: Misty Tears, Friends No More**

* * *

Tomoyo had not met them at their usual spot that morning. Tomoyo had not missed a single day of school since Sakura had met her. Once in the classroom, her fears were confirmed as Tomoyo refused to even look at her.

"Tomoyo..." Sakura addressed the girl.

"Don't talk to me Kinomoto," Tomoyo said icily.

Sakura backed away, heading over to Syaoran's seat rather than sitting next to the girl who obviously wanted nothing to do with her. Syaoran turned to the boy next to him.

"Sit over there," He ordered, indicating the seat that Sakura normally occupied.

"I shall not," The boy replied haughtily as he brushed his copper colored hair from his eyes, "This is my seat, and has been all year. I have every right to sit here."

"If I have to pay you, or threaten you, I will," Syaoran said as he glared at the boy.

"Syaoran, don't," Sakura didn't want him to cause any trouble because of her.

"You're right, Sakura," he grinned, "He's rich, it will be a lot easier just to bribe the teacher."

"You wouldn't dare," The boy replied smugly.

"Watch me." Syaoran abruptly left the classroom and came back a minute later, "Done, and it was easier than I expected."

When the teacher arrived, he informed the class that he had decided to alter the seating arrangements.

"How much did it cost to do that?" Sakura asked. She was fairly certain that bribing teachers was a frowned upon practice and that the English boy with whom she had traded seats would no doubt want to get Syaoran in trouble.

"Nothing, I just told him that you and Tomoyo were on bad terms at the moment and that it might cause a disruption in the class. I just made him think I bribed the teacher because his father is some fancy rich lord in England and he thinks that he is better than everyone because of it."

"I appreciate what you did, but next time, you can skip irritating the people you don't like."

"Just wait until he goes to the principal and accuses me of bribing the teacher. That will be even more entertaining."

"You need to spend less time with Yamazaki. He's a bad influence on you."

"I see it as training," Syaoran replied, "There is nothing better in business than getting everything you want without giving up anything."

* * *

Because Tomoyo had been so close to Laishi, the Daidouji family paid for the funeral. Most of those attending were those who worked with her. She had no real family to speak of. Sakura, Syaoran and Meiling attended, as well as Tomoyo had been just as cold to Sakura as she had since Laishi had died. When Sakura had tried to talk to and comfort Tomoyo, the girl had responded viciously, "Don't talk to me, you're not my friend anymore!" The words hurt Sakura deeply.

Syaoran took her back to the car. Tomoyo had been her best friend and was even related to her as family. Syaoran held her as she cried. While Tomoyo mourned the loss of a motherly figure, Sakura mourned the loss of her best friend. Syaoran didn't understand it. He was brought up in a world where family came first. He did not like many people in his family, and he even hated some of them, but he would never commit such a betrayal. He looked out the window and saw Tomoyo leaving the funeral. He glared at her. She returned her own glare. It was full of such malice that even Syaoran had to look away. To see such hatred in her eyes left him no choice.

* * *

Tomoyo was busy preparing to sleep as videos of Laishi played on her big screen. She turned from the picture and picked up a hairbrush. The room was suddenly hauntingly silent. The cold metal of a blade slid softly against the pale skin of her neck. She froze in fear. There were many reasons why someone would want her. Her mother's company was very successful, which made her a prime target for kidnapping. One such event had happened before, but Laishi had saved her, taking a bullet in her place while the other bodyguards subdued the attacker. That wouldn't be happening this time.

"Don't scream," A familiar voice said emotionlessly, "or things will not go well for you tonight." Her fear quickly dissolved and was replaced with malice.

"Did Sakura send you to take even more from me? Hasn't she caused me enough pain?"

"She doesn't even know I'm here," Li responded. He shifted the blade slightly, letting Tomoyo feel it digging into her skin, but not yet drawing blood. "You hurt her, and you betrayed her. She did nothing but try to make you happy and you turn and spite her when she saves your life."

"Laishi is dead because of her!" Tomoyo responded angrily as she felt the sting of his words.

"She was your best friend and she was family. How can we ever trust you now?"

"You... You're not part of my life anymore..." Tomoyo blurted out, "What does it matter if you trust me or not?" She turned and looked into his eyes defiantly. His costume was different. She had seen his battle garb before. While this outfit was similar with the green and gold, other things were different. Unlike his usual outfit, there was black instead of white, including a ninja-like mask that covered the lower half of his face.

"As her best friend, you came across secrets that have been held by the Li clan for generations, secrets that we cannot allow out." Tomoyo gasped as all her anger melted into fear as a trickle of blood began to run down the back of her neck. Because the sword was so sharp, she did not even feel the pain of the cut until she tried to turn away, intimidated by the dark stare of the boy in front of her.

"Please..." Tomoyo whispered as tears began to stream from her eyes. The cold pressure on the back of her neck receded and her assaulter pushed her away. She tripped over a chair and fell painfully to the floor.

"You think you deserve to live after what you've done?" Syaoran asked. She just cowered in fear under his gaze. "I'll give you one chance," Syaoran said, "Show me every video, and every copy. Without proof, no one would believe you should you say anything."

Tomoyo scrambled over to her video closet, opening the door to reveal hundreds of videos.

"Fire!" All of the videos melted into worthless piles of acrid smelling plastic. Tomoyo stared on in dismay as her work disappeared before her. It hurt to see all her effort wasted, but better the videos than her life.

"There are copies on my computer," Tomoyo said. She went to bring up the folder, but Syaoran shot a bolt of lightning that fried the entire thing. Should any fragments of the hard disk survive, the electro-magnetic forces and heat from the lightning would irrecoverably scramble the data.

"Now there is only one copy left." Li smiled. Tomoyo looked on in fear as Syaoran's sword flew almost imperceptibly quickly at her throat.

* * *

Tomoyo sat up in bed. She was soaked in sweat, despite the open window chilling the room. Her hands flew to her throat. Her head was still attached. There was no cut at all on her perfectly smooth skin.

She hugged her knees to her chest. The dream had been so real. It had actually seemed real. The thought of the look that Li had given her sent chills down her spine. She had seen hatred and malice and jealousy before, but to see murder in someone's eyes was new to her. The movies certainly didn't get it right. The grim determination and thirst for vengeance could not be replicated. It scared her, the way he had smiled with that final stroke and his eyes had showed satisfaction instead of remorse.

It scared her even more how much his words had stung, and it made her afraid. If she knew that the dream Syaoran was right, then certainly the real Syaoran knew as well. She wasn't the sweet little girl that everyone thought. She was a betrayer. She had turned her back on friends and family. She had pushed away everyone who had tried to help her. She had thrown away all that she had cared about in the past year. Even worse, she felt no guilt about it, only fear about what they could do to her. She barely knew anything about magic, but she was sure that what she had seen Li and Sakura do was only the tip of the iceberg.

Tomoyo grabbed one of her favorite videos and slid it into the player. Her heart skipped a beat as the only thing played back was static. She was so frightened, she did not even see the little blue butterfly leave her bead and float gently out the window.

* * *

Li sat. His half-naked body was covered in sweat. He was hyperventilating. He collapsed backwards onto his bed. He should have erased the girl's memories, but Sakura would be unhappy enough when she found out what he had done, and there was still a chance that Tomoyo would get over her misplaced blame and become Sakura's best friend again. His sword tumbled from his hand onto the carpet where it reverted to its pendant form.

He had used up a lot of magic. He had used The Dream to occupy Tomoyo while he used the move to steal Tomoyo's videos one by one. Then he had used The Create and The Twin to make permanent copies of each. Then he had used the Erase Card to remove all data from the copies before he finally moved all the blank copies back to where the real tapes had originally resided.

The original tapes now sat in a pile in the corner. He did not know what to do with them. Had he not done it, the elders would have arranged something else, and Syaoran did not know what it would have been. No one who displayed a hatred for their family could be allowed to have evidence of their unique heritage. It was absolutely forbidden. Usually, it ended up with the enemy of the clan having their mind wiped after giving up the location of all evidence that they had. In earlier generations, they had gone as far as to torture and kill their enemies. The practice, however, was frowned upon in modern society and the council tended to lean towards more peaceful means of problem solving, even if they could get away with more permanent solutions. For now, the evidence was all safely in his room so the elders would not have to make any decision on the matter at all.

"Syaoran!" Sakura entered without knocking. Normally, he'd have been thrilled to have her come visit him in the middle of the night, but with the evidence of the night's activities just lying around his room in plain sight, it would reflect badly upon him. "What is this?" Sakura asked upon noticing the rather large piled of videos. He didn't have to answer; she had figured it out on her own. "You didn't hurt her did you?"

"She's fine," He replied. "I don't know what the dream showed her, but she slept while I replaced all this with empty videos."

"This is for her own protection isn't it?" Sakura asked. Despite the fact that she could often be air-headed, when things were serious she was very sharp.

"I don't know what the clan would have decided," Syaoran replied. "She had video evidence of things we've kept hidden, sometimes by force, for hundreds of years. You two may no longer be friends, but I'm sure you would be upset with me if I let anything bad happen to her. I even kept all the originals, just in case she becomes your friend again."

"Arigatou," Sakura said, sounding much less glad than she had intended to. "There's a Clow Card doing something," She said. "I came to get you."

"Can it wait till morning?" Li asked.

"Someone might get hurt," Sakura said. Syaoran could not argue with that, ending the conversation. "You coming?" She asked. He nodded in response.

"Let's go." He activated his magical compass and it began to point the way.

* * *

"This just doesn't feel right," Syaoran said as they raced through the night.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"You should be mad at me. I stole things that were important to Tomoyo, and you just accepted it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Yell at me or something."

"What would that accomplish?" Sakura asked. "I am angry that you had to do something like this, but you had no other choice. It was either do it, or allow something even worse to happen. It was one of the big things that held me back before. I was afraid that your family would force me to do something like this, or worse, for the sake of the clan. This has already been done, so there's nothing I can do about it now. Things can't change if I run away," She said as she came to a stop on top of a girder in an incomplete building. Syaoran stopped beside her, panting with exhaustion as Sakura continued talking.

"You told me before that I can either let things happen and blame others or work to make things better. With you, I'll at least have a voice, and I'll be able to help and support you in times when the clan asks you to do something that you know is wrong.

"I can't let my anger get in the way. You already know that this was not an acceptable solution to the problem, but it was the best option you had. Maybe with time you could have thought of something else, but the way Tomoyo has been acting recently, you didn't have time to think of a better solution. You should have told me though... At least then I could have helped. You're so exhausted now..." She was cut off as the beam they were standing on splintered. Sakura's monologue turned into a scream which was cut short as Li grabbed her wrist with his teeth.

"Wind, descend!" Syaoran's mumbled spell barely slowed them down and quickly fizzled.

"Float!" They stopped inches before the hard concrete below. Dust rained down on them from above. "What is this?" Sakura asked. The dust felt strange and itched irritatingly.

"Rust," Syaoran said. He glanced upwards. "Run!" He pushed her from behind and raced towards the nearest street as chunks of bricks and metal beams rained down in their wake.

"Shield!" The shield began to crack as a light mist emerged from the debris that was now burying them. "What's happening?" The shield was full of cracks now and on the verge of breaking. "The debris is holding up most of its' own weight, so why is the shield failing?"

"The Mist Card causes things to decay," Syaoran explained, "We have to contain it, or the whole city will fall apart."

"If the shield fails, we won't be around to worry about it!" Sakura said, pouring as much energy as she could into the shield which was losing cohesion and allowing dust and rocks to slip through, gathering around their feet.


	54. Stone Cold Sleep

**CH53: Stone Cold Sleep**

* * *

"Sakura! Please hold it for a little longer," Li wheezed tiredly as he struggled to his feet. He barely seemed able to stand.

"Hai!" She redoubled her efforts, pouring all her energy into maintaining the shield. Meanwhile, Li set about placing ofudas that Sakura did not recognize around the perimeter.

"Ancient golem that dwells in the belly of the earth, I call upon your strength. Q'yth-az I call upon you, lend me you power!" The entire ground began to shake. Sakura could not even remain standing. Li was looking very wobbly, his tail hanging limply downwards and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted rapidly. The shield disappeared as Sakura dropped her wand and raced over to catch Syaoran as he collapsed.

Surprisingly, the structure did not come down on top of them. Looking around, Sakura saw that instead of walls of rusted metal and concrete chunks, there was an almost-smooth, yet multi-faceted, surface in their place. It ranged in colors from a shiny obsidian black to solid slate gray and even had veins of crystals running through it.

"Syaoran!" Sakura had no time to admire his work. They were trapped in a hemisphere of stone. She was having trouble breathing already. They needed to get out or they would soon die, but once out, what would they find? Only a building ready to topple down on them, or the mist waiting to melt them into, whatever it melted people into. Sakura wasn't quite sure what would happen. The way it had been eating through the metal and concrete suggested that she'd rather not find out for herself what its effects on a person would be.

The place was not shaking so Sakura assumed that whatever damage had been done to the structure above them had completed its destructive effects and would not collapse on them as soon as she managed to get them out. She could only think of one option that would not result in their immediate deaths.

"Through!" A circular passage appeared leading out into the street; Sakura dragged Syaoran's exhausted body outside where the damage could be surveyed. The mist was still hovering over the building which was now nothing but a pile of red and gray dust. Light gusts of wind sent the amorphous green fog drifting over towards the next building. She almost tripped over her own feet as she pulled out the windy card. It was the middle of the night and the shield card had taken a lot out of her to maintain as the mist had eaten away at it. Syaoran probably wouldn't be moving for a while, which meant that it was all up to her.

Sakura took a deep breath and wiped some of the dust from her face, blinking a few times to wake herself up and focus. "Windy! Contain the mist." Luckily, the moon was almost full so it took almost no energy to activate the card which fell under the moon's power.

The windy encircled the mist, rounding it up into a single spherical mass and moving it in front of Sakura. "Return... form... meant... have." Sakura's head was spinning. She struck the card then immediately collapsed on top of Li. The last thing she saw before she fell asleep in the middle of the road was the mist card float gently into her lap.

* * *

"Mizuki-sensei?" Sakura asked groggily as she awoke on a couch in an unfamiliar English-styled home. Li was lying next to her, wrapped in a robe. Both of them were under a thick wool blanket.

"It's good to see you are awake," Their teacher replied, referring only to Sakura since Li still showed no signs of stirring, "Have some tea." The steaming hot beverage was obviously fresh. It was as if the woman had known when she would wake up.

"How did we get here?" Sakura asked as she sat up. She laid Syaoran's head on her lap so she could lean back and enjoy the offered drink and the foreign breakfast. Both food and drink had been laid out on a beveled, glass-topped, coffee table between the red couch and armchair, the latter of which was now occupied by the woman Sakura had surprisingly woken to see.

"I was headed to the bakery this morning," Mizuki-sensei replied, "to get some freshly baked bread." It was really fresh. Sakura was practically salivating at the smell of the still steaming loaf which had been cut into thick slices and laid on a plate next to a stick of butter and a bottle of jam. "I took a shortcut through the area of the city that was under construction because traffic would not be blocked so early. It was just after dawn and I almost ran over you two just lying in the road asleep." She explained. She was acting as if finding a naked boy and a girl dressed in pajamas lying in the middle of the street was a daily occurrence for her. "I thought that I would bring you back and offer you some breakfast."

"Arigatou." Sakura thanked her teacher who, as usual, seemed awfully understanding of the situations they got themselves into because of the cards.

"Since you are here," The woman said, "May I ask you a question?"

"Hai." Sakura agreed.

"You are from Tomoeda, right? My family is in charge of taking care of a shrine there."

"The Tsukimine Shrine?" Sakura asked.

"Hai," She confirmed.

"It is very beautiful. Your family takes good care of it. It is especially beautiful when all the trees bloom. Up until this year, I always went to the winter festival there with my brother and Yukito."

"It's nice to remember good times," Kaho Mizuki said, "But we cannot live in the past. Things must always move forward."

"It sounds like you were the one who wrote some of the fortunes there," Sakura said, "I am sure I have gotten that one before."

The teacher smiled, "Or perhaps I also received the same fortune and took it to heart. Members of my family have always been shrine workers. I've found myself missing the work. I heard there was a small shrine near here though. Would you mind showing me where it is sometime soon? I hear it has been abandoned for years and I would love to spend an afternoon sprucing it up a bit."

"I'm really tired today," Sakura said. "If you don't mind going tomorrow though, I would love to help."

"That sounds excellent. I can't wait to see it when we're done and it's bathed in the light of the full moon." The last part of her sentence was emphasized. The full moon. What had been important about that? She had almost forgotten with the events of the week and her falling out with Tomoyo. What was he called again? The other guardian, the one who governed the cards of the moon as Kero did those of the sun... The moon... Yue. "I have to run some errands now. Feel free to stay as long as you want."

As soon as Mizuki-sensei had shut the door, Syaoran began to stir. At first he seemed perfectly contented in his position, but soon, despite his enjoyment of his current pillow, the rest of his sleeping arrangement felt strange and slightly uncomfortable.

"Where are we?" He asked, finally taking the time to look around. He was feeling tense and suspicious.

"Mizuki-sensei's house," Sakura said. This only served to intensify Syaoran's tenseness. Something had always seemed off about that woman. Sakura seemed to quite like the woman, which is why his distrust had never expanded from his tense vigilance around the suspicious character.

"Did she see anything she shouldn't have?" He asked.

"Yes she did, though not anything magical. She just saw my naked fiancée." Syaoran had trouble deciding whether this was a good or bad thing, "At least she didn't mention anything. I woke up here with you less than an hour ago."

Li grunted in acknowledgment.

"Why don't you eat something?" Sakura suggested, "I'll call Wei so he can bring you some clothes and take you home." When he inspected the food critically she added, "Mizuki sensei and I already ate some, so I'm pretty sure it's not poisoned." Li began to spread toppings upon a slice of bread before devouring it in two bites. Despite his distrust for the woman who had provided the food, he finished off everything that had been left on the table. "Sugoi!" Sakura commented as she returned from her phone conversation, "Not even Yukito-san eats that much."

"You ever seen a fat wizard?" Syaoran asked rhetorically. "Magic uses up a lot of energy. Even if I stopped my physical training and ate twice as much, I'd probably not gain a single pound."

"Sounds like a good diet," Sakura laughed. "Eat as much as you want and the pounds magically disappear."

"Unfortunately, magic only burns the fat. It doesn't give me rock hard abs, so the physical training is a must, even if I could get all the skills and power I needed from the cards."

"Make sure you're really rested up," Sakura said, "Tomorrow's the full moon."

"You think something will happen?"

"I'm sure of it," Sakura replied, "Mizuki sensei wanted me to take her to the water shrine. After I agreed to help her with its maintenance, she mentioned the light of the full moon."

"Your dream about Yue..." Syaoran remembered.

"The mist card was hard on both of us, but whatever happens tomorrow will be a lot worse."

* * *

Sakura leapt from rooftop to rooftop running straight into the full moon. Stopping, she looked over the water shrine from the top of the building. A long haired figure stood on top of the shrine, back lit by a shaft of light rising from the well to the moon itself.

"Yue? Who are you?" Sakura asked. She leapt down in front of the shrine. The figure's ice blue eyes stared at her critically. Slightly intimidated, she turned away, seeing another figure standing in the shadows of the alley. It was a woman with long hair. "Mizuki-sensei." The woman just stood there watching, and waiting.

"Where's Syaoran?" She wondered. She turned back towards Yue who flung open his wings, making him look like the silhouette of an angel against the pale blue light. There was a large bundle in his arms. Yue threw the bundle at her effortlessly, knocking her over. "Syaoran!" There were holes in his clothing as if he had been in a battle and lost. His face was pale, and there was a large gash on his forehead that was leaking blood, covering the entire left side of his face in the viscous red substance. "What did you do to him?!" She demanded.

Yue was silent. Why hadn't Syaoran transformed? It was the full moon. It should have been almost impossible to stop it. "Syaoran!" She shook his limp body, but received no response.

"Kinomoto-san..." It was Mizuki-sensei. She didn't care.

"Syaoran..." She wiped the blood from his face with her sleeve.

"Kinomoto-san, wake up!" Mizuki sensei again. Why couldn't the woman leave her alone?

"Sakura!" Syaoran's voice.

* * *

"Syaoran-kun!" Her eyes flew open.

"Class has been over for five minutes. If we don't hurry, we'll miss gym."

"Let's skip it," Sakura said, "Just leave now, and not come back for the rest of the week." Her pleading tone gave Syaoran no choice but to do as she asked.

As soon as they were out of earshot he asked, "What happened in your dream?"

"It was exactly the same," Sakura said, "Just more to it," She added with much less volume in the faint hope that Syaoran wouldn't hear.

"What is it?" His voice was insistent, "I can't help, if you don't tell me. It was about me, I know that much from the way you're trying to hide it. What happened?"

"You died."


	55. Earth Shaking Encounters

**CH54:Earth-Shaking Encounters**

* * *

"Remember, the dreams aren't necessarily literal," Syaoran said, "Don't worry about it. I promise you that I'll be fine. Nothing can happen to me, and even if Yue is as strong as I am, you will be there. Together, we can beat anything."

"Just don't go," Sakura begged, "I can't let anyone else die for this."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Syaoran replied, "I have to be there to protect you. If it's my destiny to die, if I'm not there, someone else might have to die in my place. I won't let that somebody be you."

Sakura snuggled next to Li in his large soft bed. It felt a little naughty, but they were engaged and wearing pajamas. If anything should happen to him the next day, Sakura wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.

"Why are you crying?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm not," Sakura insisted as she tried to blink away the tears that had snuck out of her eyes.

"I guess I'm pregnant then."

"Hoee!?" Sakura exclaimed at the absurd statement.

"Well my chest is wet. If you're not crying, and I'm not injured, and I am not too hot, then I must be lactating all over myself."

"So, you've been cheating on me?" Sakura asked jokingly, "Who's the lucky man?"

"I don't know. There were too many to be sure. After all, what goes on after gym class, stays in the locker room."

"I don't think you have to worry about being pregnant."

"Why is that?" Syaoran asked. He was amused at the turn in the conversation and was glad that he'd momentarily distracted her from the thoughts of her dream.

"First, because you are a man," Sakura giggled, "and secondly, because you are too hot."

"It's a good thing these sheets are fire retardant then." Syaoran smirked, "but I wonder if they'll survive tonight, because you're also very, very hot." It was a bad choice of words. Sakura stiffened up, silencing their playful banter at the mention of not surviving the night.

"Just make sure you do," Sakura whispered.

"I will," He promised quietly as Sakura drifted into a light sleep. Hopefully he was right about the dream not being literal and about what would happen. If not, his promise would not be worth the two words that he had used to make it.

* * *

They were late. In fact, they were very late. Syaoran had woken up on time, as usual, but Sakura, as she was prone to do, could not wake up without a very good alarm clock and someone dragging her out of bed. Syaoran just hadn't had any desire to wake her up because she was using him as both teddy bear and pillow. She seemed so peaceful and content. Syaoran was also worried that if she was woken up, she would return to the state of worry that she had been in since the previous day when the only thing on her mind had been his imminent death. Eventually, he had dozed off again until he had been reawakened by Sakura's own hysterics about being late. The elders scheduled to teach them their morning magic lessons would probably have a few choice words for them as well.

Even with a bit of magical help, they did not arrive at school until half way through the morning. Unfortunately, it was not math on the schedule rotation for that period and they found themselves waiting outside the class having their arms stretched by buckets of water, which they were told they would have to use later in lieu of the scheduled students for afternoon cleaning duty. It was not an uncommon punishment, but Sakura and Li rarely endured such things. Syaoran, having greater physical strength and endurance than Sakura was having no trouble carrying the load, but Sakura was soon tired. Syaoran offered to help, but Sakura refused, insisting that it was her responsibility, though Syaoran suspected her motives may have more likely been an effort to prevent him from tiring himself out.

When she had finally reached her limit, she placed the buckets on the floor. Their teacher must have had super hearing because, seconds later, he had appeared insisting that she continue to take her punishment, and refusing to hear excuses. The teacher returned to the classroom afterwards. Syaoran didn't accept any excuses this time. He reached out and took a bucket from her, leaving his own hovering in the air.

"Ho...mmph..." Syaoran stifled her exclamation with his other hand. The last thing their teacher needed to see was a pair of magically floating buckets. Sakura found that there was a wind ofuda on the bottom of the one nearest to her creating a disc of rotating air in the small recess in the bottom of the bucket.

"I offered to help," Syaoran whispered as Sakura glared at him.

"But you didn't mention that you were cheating."

"It's not cheating; he only told us that we have to hold the buckets, not that we have to use our hands to do it." He pushed the other levitating bucket towards her, receiving a much heavier bucket in return. Now he was the one who was tiring, but the class ended before he reached his limit.

* * *

In gym class, which was their final class that day, they had the same teacher who had punished them out in the hall for being late to class. He looked rather irritated. Before they could go and change into their gym outfits, he stopped them.

"Apparently you two are worse trouble makers than I realized," he said, "One of your other teachers informed me that you already have a detention after school from yesterday. So instead of cleaning duty, you will be running laps while the rest of the class plays soccer. Fifty laps, or the end of class, no breaks or stopping until then."

Sakura and Syaoran sighed in unison as they went to get changed, not looking forward to forty-five minutes of running rather than playing sports with their peers.

When they had exited the change rooms, Naoko, as usual, volunteered to be scorekeeper and in the process was assigned as lap counter as well so that there would be no cheating in the counting by the two runners.

"Any tricks this time?" Sakura asked.

"Too many people around," Syaoran replied. "Or else the dash card would be handy."

"I need to use the toilet before we start since we're not allowed any breaks!" Sakura said to the teacher. She was looking quite desperate. Not only did she have to use the washroom, especially since they would probably not return home until late that night, she could also use the chance to put Li's plan into action.

When Sakura returned, she jogged up to Syaoran and challenged him to a race.

"Be careful," Syaoran said, knowing what she had done, "There's a track meet coming soon and you don't want to be drafted."

"But I don't want to lose either," Sakura challenged.

"Too bad you can't always get what you want," Syaoran said as he took off running. Sakura, taken by surprise took off a few seconds after him. He had gotten a good head start, but she slowly caught up to him. Since she was using the dash card, she didn't have to worry about exhausting herself by trying to keep up with Syaoran. While Syaoran was in good condition, the dash card boosted Sakura's speed and stamina more than enough to surpass him, so she jogged alongside him and matched his pace. Syaoran, on the other hand, just kept futilely trying to pull ahead of her, even if it was only for a few seconds. After six laps of the two hundred meter track around the soccer field, Syaoran was panting quite heavily. Sakura had barely broken a sweat and was just barely letting herself pull ahead of him to give him incentive to move faster. She tripped. This allowed her to notice that the entire class, including the teacher, had stopped the game to watch them.

"Why are you watching us like that?" Sakura asked.

"You just ran a mile in just over four minutes!" Naoko exclaimed. "The world record is only thirty seconds ahead of the two of you!"

"I warned you," Syaoran whispered as he noticed the contemplative look on the gym teacher's face. Syaoran reached out and helped Sakura back to her feet, and she began to brush the red gravel of the track from her white shirt.

"If you two could run so fast, how could you have been late this morning?" their teacher asked.

"We weren't that fast," Syaoran said. "There must be something wrong with the timer." Syaoran's breath, which had been labored from the exertion of running so fast, suddenly stopped and a strange look crossed his face. He fell to his knees, grabbed his stomach and vomited his lunch onto the grass beside the track.

"Syaoran!" Sakura was as surprised as everyone else. "Are you alright?"

"I think... I just over-exerted myself," He said. He looked up which allowed everyone to see how pale his face had become.

"We have to get you to the nurse's office," Sakura said worriedly.

"I will be..." More of his lunch made an appearance. "Fine."

"Kinomoto is right," The teacher said, "You look terrible. Kinomoto, take him to the nurse's office, everyone else, return to the game." Sakura helped him stand up and let him use her as a crutch with his arm around her shoulder.

"Are you going to be all right?" Sakura asked.

"Don't worry," He said, "It's nothing a sandwich and a breath mint can't cure." The color was already coming back into his face.

"You were faking it?" Sakura asked. She was annoyed that he had made her worry about him, especially when she already had concerns about his future health.

"Of course. I couldn't let it continue or else we would have been on the track team, and you would have beaten me in the race easily."

"You didn't stick your fingers down your throat or anything. How did you do it?"

"It's not hard: just roll your abs from the top to the bottom of your stomach, push up with your diaphragm, and up it comes."

"I don't think I really wanted to know that." Sakura said. Just picturing the process had made her queasy. Instead of heading to the nurse's office, they headed straight through the school and across the street to a convenience store where Syaoran grabbed some junk food and a pack of Tic-Tacs.

* * *

Sakura's jaw was stuck. This was a problem she had never encountered before, and it probably never would have happened if she'd not accepted Syaoran's challenge. It had started as pigging out on junk food and had resulted in a contest to see who could fit the most chips in their mouth. The challenge had been issued because Sakura insisted that she had won their race and Syaoran insisted that it was a tie. The two of them had taken large stacks of chips from a can and had tried to fit them into their mouth. Syaoran's stack was slightly bigger, and he had consumed it easily enough, but Sakura had not judged well and now found her teeth stuck wide open. Syaoran, seeing his fiancé in distress, pressed his lips against hers and bit through the center of the stack.

One thing had led to another and Kaho Mizuki had ended up finding them in another, more passionate contest in the alley beside the store where they had purchased the food. Sakura and Syaoran had been quite embarrassed to not only be caught skipping school, but to also be using the time for a make-out session, which had come all the more easily thanks to Sakura's fears for Syaoran's safety.

"Mizuki-sensei!" Sakura turned bright red from the embarrassment.

"I'm sure there's plenty of work to be done," the teacher said with a smile. She was acting as if she had not caught them in an embarrassing situation. "We'd better hurry if we want to be done before dark."

* * *

Surprisingly, it had not taken long at all to finish. They were done well before sundown. The trio had managed to scrub the shrine free of dirt, moss and cobwebs, and had scooped the majority of algae and debris out of the water. These small improvements made a big difference.

The shrine now looked almost new, and certainly not as decrepit and spooky as it had before. It seemed peaceful until the ground began to shake. The sudden uproar in the nearby bird alley could be heard as the caged creatures were spooked all at once.

"Earthquake," Syaoran stated. He gave Sakura a look that indicated that there was more to it.

"This area is pretty old. It probably doesn't meet modern seismic standards. Why don't you head out that way?" Kaho Mizuki indicated a direction, "It would be a shame if these buildings were to fall on top of you." Sakura did not need to be told a second time. As she raced off in the indicated direction, their teacher went in another direction towards an alley where she could watch the sun set as she waited.

"It's the last one," Syaoran said, "It must be the Earthy Card." They rounded the corner of the alley onto a side street where they ran into a familiar duo.

"Oni-san!" Sakura cried as she was knocked to the ground once again that day. Both Syaoran and her brother offered to help her up. Yukito beat them to it, though he was brought to one knee as another tremor shook the ground violently. Touya had the same look on his face as he usually did when he thought something suspicious was going on. After his run in with Rusaki at the park, Sakura had seen that look on his face more often.

"There's a small park over there!" Yukito pointed out. "We should probably be safe there." Before they could act on his suggestion, another tremor rocked the area. This one split the road, causing a large chunk to begin to rise violently into the air, taking Sakura with it. Li, seeing that Sakura was in danger, leapt onto the rising terrain and grabbed onto a large, jutting piece of stone. Another spur of tremors and the small mountain they were clinging to stopped rising, but the topology of three other chunks of land changed drastically.

Syaoran managed to climb on top of the rock that he had been clinging to and leapt upwards, grabbing the edge of the asphalt. Sakura grabbed his arm and helped him climb up to her. The space on top was barely large enough to hold the two of them. They were now several stories above the ground and could see that a few buildings had already taken serious damage. One small store was split in two with one half sunk several meters underground and the other half was tilted up at an angle. All the shelving had slid over to one end of the raised portion of the store and the people inside were all huddling by a doorway which led to a staff area. If any of the larger buildings also received that kind of damage, there would surely be fatalities.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura called as she waved at a little yellow dot that was heading towards them through the sky, "Watch out!" Kero rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding rocks falling from a crumbling rocky spire that had grown out of the ground.

The whole length of the street undulated. More of the spires began toppling over, including the one Sakura and Li were standing on. Syaoran grabbed Sakura around the waist and leapt off opposite the direction the rocky spire was falling.

"Wind!" Their descent was slowed. Sakura looked to where the spire was falling and saw the familiar, but frightened, face of her former best friend who held shopping bags in one hand and a video camera in the other. Her brother was running towards Tomoyo, but there was .no way they'd be safe in time.

"Shield!" Sakura wasn't sure if she had cast the shield in time. All that could be seen was a pile of dirt and rocks where Tomoyo and her brother had been standing. The shield was definitely under there and draining Sakura's power, but there was no way to tell if Tomoyo and Touya had not been crushed before it had come into effect. She had no time to worry about saving the two of them because, as soon as their feet hit the ground, it split and a giant serpent of stone reared up, roaring ferociously.

"Be careful!" Kero warned, "The earthy is one of the elemental cards, and possibly the most dangerous one."

"Force strike!" Syaoran's blade of energy struck the towering beast, but it had no effect. "Its defense is powerful as well."

"Jump!" This time it was Sakura who pulled Syaoran out of harm's way as the head of the stone serpent smashed into the ground where they had been standing, sending rocky shrapnel flying explosively. When the creature raised itself up again, its head was gone, shattered by the impact, but it grew back almost immediately.

"Its true form must be inside," Syaoran said, "or else it would have been injured." The massive head swung towards them again, gouging a deep crevice.

"Where's Yukito-san?" Sakura asked worriedly. She was not seeing him anywhere.

"I don't know. We can't keep running like this or more people will be hurt," Syaoran replied, "We need something to hold it off until we can think of a way to defeat it. Please, try to distract it for a moment."

"Hai! Fiery!" The Fiery Card began a relentless assault on the earthy card.

"Create! Erase!" Syaoran quickly began sketching in The Create. Each mark he drew was gouged from the pavement in front of him until he was finished. He had drawn a large circle with one section for each of the elements. It was like the symbol that appeared on the laizen board and on some of the art in the mansion. One thing was different though, the symbol for the earth. Instead of being a small kanji symbol in a small circle, it was expanded so that it and its containing circle covered one quarter of the rest of the pattern. "Imperial king of gods whose divinity watches over all four corners, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning, lord of the earth come forth! Q'yth-az, answer my call!"

The shaking of the earth intensified. Out of the center of the summoning circle, a crystal shard grew. Another shard grew from the same spot immediately after. The crystalline structure continued growing quickly until it was as large as the earthy's current form. The towering crystal moved. Chunks fell from it until it had become a shiny imitation of the spirit it had been called to battle. Its roar was a painfully high-pitched shriek which reverberated throughout its entire body which sent shockwaves out in every direction. Sakura and Syaoran looked on in awe as the giant worms slammed into each other.


	56. Dreams Come True

**CH55: Dreams Come True**

* * *

A fair haired young man was thrown violently into the alley. Immediately after, a hail of rocks and asphalt bombarded the end of the alley. The furthest flying piece landed just in front of Kaho Mizuki who didn't even flinch as the rock bounced to its resting place. She walked over to the man. His back was covered in bloody lacerations that were leaking onto his torn clothes.

"Let me help you up," Kaho offered, taking the injured man's arm. The man gratefully accepted her help and she began to lead him.

"I've got to go back," He said, pulling away from her.

"There's nothing you can do...yet," Kaho replied.

"But… I've seen you somewhere before." He knew she was right. He was helpless against the monster beyond the alley. He would certainly die if he interfered with the battle going on out there.

"I am one of the teachers at the school," She said mundanely. "You were working there for a while."

"That's not it," he said as the shock of what had happened slowly began to wear off, "You are Touya-kun's ex-girlfriend."

"We both have someone else now," Kaho replied.

"He told me that you can sense things, but not the way he does."

"We all see the world differently," she answered cryptically, "I see who you really are... Tsukishiro-san."

The pause before she had said his name made Yukito feel slightly uneasy. A loud, screeching shock wave sent him off balance and a strong tremor following a loud crash sent him falling towards the woman before him.

"They are in danger. I have to help them," he saideven though he knew that it would be futile. It was likely that he would not survive to find Sakura and her brother if he tried, let alone be of any use. It was amazing that Sakura had seemed to be holding her own against it. He had never known that Sakura had such power, nor that power like that existed in the first place. Touya's behavior and ghost stories, however, had made him suspect even if he had still been skeptical.

"It's not your time yet." Kaho looked to the sun which was now just touching the horizon. "For now you should sleep. Your time will come soon" A bell-like object appeared in her hand and she struck it against the wall. The resulting sound was the last thing Yukito heard before he was fast asleep.

* * *

The monstrous crystalline worm slammed against its rocky counterpart. The two writhed around each other, butting heads aggressively. Q'yth-az seemed to have the advantage. Its strikes gouged chunks of rock from The Earthy's body, while The Earthy's attack merely rang out loudly as the crystals it struck vibrated. Soon the two were wrapped around each other. They were like a pair of snakes that had caught their prey. Both were battling to constrict the other.

With a piercing shriek one worm gained supremacy as the crystalline structures that formed its body elongated, piercing earthy like spears from all sides. The vibrations in the crystal spears from Q'th-az's roar resonated through the Earthy's body. The earthy exploded violently. Pebbles and dust fell from the sky like rain.

Syaoran watched from his position in the summoning circle as The Earthy's true form was revealed, trapped in a crystal cage.

"Sakura! Seal it now!"

"Fly!" Sakura raced towards the two spirits, dodging the larger rocks that continued to fall from the explosion of Earthy's body. She dodged a particularly large rock by swerving to the side and rotating to the right. Her eyes followed the rock as it flew directly at Li. It glanced off one side of his forehead. It left an all too familiar gash as he fell backwards to the ground with a stream of blood gushing out onto his face.

"Syaoran!" Sakura didn't have time to worry because something struck her wand from behind, sending her falling. As she was spiraling towards the ground, she saw the last remnants of crystal shrink from existence since their summoner no longer conscious to sustain them.

As Sakura turned her focus to trying to stop her fall, The Earthy had plans to end it all the more quickly. A spire of land rose up towards Sakura who was falling head first.

"Wind!" Sakura concentrated on the ofuda which was much more difficult to activate since she did not have her wand. Her descent was rapidly slowed by the vortex that was created. Her wand fell past her, bouncing back up as it was struck from below by the rising spire. Sakura grabbed for her wand. It pushed up against her hand as she closed her fingers around it. "Jump!" Hitting the spire, she jumped back upwards, doing a back flip towards the Earthy Card. It was in the form of a giant worm again and its head was rapidly approaching. She managed to land a foot on the beast's nose, doing a short flip with a corkscrew turn so that she was now standing on its back facing its tail.

"Dash!" Sakura raced along the worm's body. Instead of turning around like she had expected, the worm's face melted onto the other side of its head. Now, instead of racing down its back she was running on its belly.

The worm arched over and Sakura jumped for her life. There was an explosion of rock as the Earthy's head collided with its own body. Kero's tiny form raced through the falling rubble and caught the back of her shirt. He lowered her as slowly as his tiny wings could manage. She landed on what had been the head of the powerful elemental. Looking down, Sakura saw the Earthy's true form laying unconscious under the very boulder that she was standing on.

"Earthy, return to the form you were meant to have!" Sakura sealed The Earthy and, grabbing the card out of the air, raced towards Syaoran whom their mysterious teacher Kaho Mizuki was helping to his feet. The battle had left Sakura drained, and Syaoran looked even worse than she did.

"You!" Kero flew up without attempt to hide from the teacher.

"I am not who you think I am," Kaho smiled politely, "But his time is almost here." She glanced towards the sun's receding brilliance.

"Touya! Tomoyo!" Sakura remembered. The shield was no longer draining her energy, she must have accidentally released it during the battle. She could only hope that they were going to be alright. "Power." She didn't heed her teacher's presence. Mizuki-sensei had seemed to know what was going on before, and after the battle with The Earthy, surely everyone for several blocks had seen them. She rolled the large stones away, being careful not to let the dome the rocks had formed crumble.

Sakura heard a groan as she revealed a piece of fabric that matched the shirt that Touya had been wearing. Syaoran was helping, though his pace was sluggish. Even Kero was doing his part. Soon, Touya's entire back had been revealed. He sat up shakily, revealing that he had been sheltering Tomoyo with his own body. Kero quickly ducked behind Sakura to hide from her brother.

Tomoyo's eyes were wet with tears. She had obviously been crying in fear while trapped.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked tiredly. A series of emotions flashed across the rescued girls face, from fear to gratitude, to sadness, and finally resting on hatred.

"How many people died because of you today?" Tomoyo spat as she pushed herself away from Touya and ran off crying.

"She never cried before," Sakura whispered. Tomoyo, through all their adventures, had always been excited. She had always looked forward to it. Even when things had gotten dangerous, Tomoyo had always trusted Sakura to protect her. To see her so afraid hurt Sakura. To be blamed made her feel guilty. She never wanted anything to be this way; she didn't want anyone getting hurt. She didn't even want anyone to know that she wasn't just a normal high school girl.

"Everything will surely be all right," Syaoran said and wrapped his arms around her protectively. This made her feel better but she could not help but think about how Tomoyo could no longer trust her.

"Yukito! Where is he?" Sakura remembered how Yukito had somehow disappeared during the battle.

"Don't worry. He is safe," Kaho gestured towards an alley, where Yukito's feet could be seen sticking out from behind a trashcan. At the end of the alley stood the shrine.

"Kaho." Sakura's brother was looking at the teacher strangely.

"It's good to see you again," Kaho replied with a mysterious smile.

"What happened here?" Touya asked as he headed towards Yukito. To Sakura, it sounded like he had a pretty good idea. Kaho followed, leaving Sakura and Syaoran behind.

"What are we going to tell him?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know," Sakura replied, "It's no use hiding though, not after this and the incident at the park. He probably already knows everything." Yukito was always telling her that Touya had such a sister complex. "If he asks…"

"Your brother has some power. It might do him some good to learn the truth," Syaoran paused for a moment and Sakura leaned back against his chest. "Have you signed the Earthy Card yet?"

"Not yet," Sakura said.

"Better hurry. There's not much time, it's getting pretty dark."

"What will happen? It's the last one."

"Yue will come, and you'll be tested."

"I don't want him to come," Sakura said, "That cut on your head, it was in the dream. I don't want you to be hurt… I can't let you die."

"You have to do it sometime. You can't fight the future."

"Whatever happens, please don't do anything that could get you hurt even more," Sakura said as she wrote her name on the card.

"If you are going to have to fight Yue as the final judgment, I can't let you get hurt. Besides, I have an issue to discuss with him."

"Hoee!" Sakura had turned to see a giant winged and armored lion standing behind them. Syaoran leveled his sword unsteadily at the strange creature. "What is that?"

"Keroberos, the guardian beast of the seal," lion said with a much deeper, and much more intimidating voice than he had spoken in as a stuffed animal. "So, how do I look?"

"You look… cool," Sakura said, unable to think of any other way to describe the creature before her. He certainly did not look like a stuffed animal anymore.

"Just imagine how many sweets I can eat while I'm this big!" Keroberos licked his lips in anticipation.

"Just like a bigger stuffed animal," Syaoran scowled. He had never gotten along with Kero, and he wasn't about to start.

"Could a stuffed animal do this?" Kero growled as he pounced on Syaoran, pinning him to the ground under a massive paw.

"Only if it was as fat as you," Syaoran struggled against the creature's immense strength.

"YUKITO!" The three of them turned and saw Yukito floating in front of Touya. He was enveloped in a silvery blue light.

"Yue," Kero said. He released Syaoran who, like Yukito, was also undergoing a transformation. Surprisingly, Touya did not look surprised at his boyfriend's transformation, though he did look concerned.

"Yukito is… Yue?" Sakura said as a pair of large wings hid Yukito's body from view, "Why didn't he say anything?"

"Yukito probably didn't know," Kero explained, "It wasn't his job to help you capture the cards. I am the one who appoints the candidates for the new Clow master and helps them learn what they need to know to capture the cards. I needed to be able to help you. Just because I appoint someone does not mean that they will become the Clow master. Yue has the final say in that matter. He was not supposed to get attached to you before his judgment, so his false form had no idea who he was. If he does not agree with my choice, that is if you don't pass his test, the great tragedy will befall the world."

Yue's wings opened, revealing his true form. He was clothed in pale whites and blues. His blue eyes had a cold stare that appeared to hold the world in contempt. His long white hair flowed down around his wings. This all gave him the appearance of an angel with a broken heart.

"Yukito..."

Yue ignored Touya and floated over to Sakura and Syaoran.

"It's been a long time," Kero said.

"Not long enough. Your candidate did not even capture all the cards. Which one will be tested?"

"She will" Syaoran said, "She will be the new mistress of the cards. I want something else from you."

Yue, with a wave of his arm, brought Syaoran's wolf body over to him. "You would presume to ask something of me when you do not even have the respect to show up in your true form."

"I can't show my true form!" Syaoran protested, "My family was cursed for generations by Clow's magic. I want you to take the curse away. This form comes from the moon, so you should be able to take it away."

"You cannot even master your own body, yet you hold Clow Cards. You are weak." This earned Yue a glare and a growl, but neither fazed him. "Very well. Defeat me and I will lift the curse, but if you fail, you will forever keep the form you have now taken." Yue glared at Syaoran and he became engulfed in a pale blue light.

"No, Syaoran, don't..." Sakura begged.

* * *

"Attack me," Yue said. Syaoran didn't know what had happened, but they were now on the rooftop of a building. He was in his human form under the light of the full moon, but the effect would not be permanent unless he could defeat Yue in battle. He would have to do it fast. He was already so weak. He had lost a lot of blood already and the gash on his forehead was still leaking a steady trickle of blood. He had also used up a lot of magical power with the summoning spell. He was physically, magically, and mentally exhausted and his opponent was sure to be even more powerful than an elemental Clow Card like the one that had exhausted him.

Syaoran took stock of his Clow Cards and realized that he was going to be in trouble. He had hoped to rely on the cards because they took less energy to use than the clan's magic, but almost all of his cards fell under Yue's dominion and would be useless against him.

"If you won't attack, then I will," Yue said as he raised his hand and fired a volley of razor sharp shards of ice at Syaoran. He tried to dodge the shards, but there were too many. His clothes were torn to shreds, and his body was now bleeding from hundreds of small cuts.

There was no time to think. He would lose if he faced another volley like that. He had to attack and keep attacking until one of them fell. "Thunder!" Yue did not even move. The electric cat slammed against a pale blue barrier and dissipated.

"As I thought," Yue said, "You are weak." He raised his arm and an energy bow materialized. He fired at Syaoran who rolled out of the way.

"Fiery!" Yue was engulfed in flames, but his shield held.

"In the hands of a skilled magician, this card could defeat me. But you have no idea what you are doing," Yue said, "You only think of a card's raw power, but its true strength eludes you." He fired more arrows at Syaoran.

Syaoran screamed in pain as his shoulder was pierced by the arrow. He collapsed onto his back. His body was so weak and injured that he could no longer lift a finger to defend himself.

"You have not mastered yourself, nor the cards. You are finished. No card will ever call you master." Syaoran's cards floated away from him and to the moon guardian.

* * *

"Where did they go?" Sakura asked.

"Over there!" Kero was gazing towards a roof where blue light flared up. "You can't interfere."

"I won't let him die!" Sakura insisted, "Jump!" She began to use the nearby buildings to work her way up into the air. When she made it to the top, neither Syaoran nor Yue were there, however, the roof was slick with blood. "Syaoran!" she cried, racing towards the other end of the roof where a shaft of light rose towards the full moon.

At the edge of the roof, she found herself looking down at the water shrine. A long haired figure stood on the roof of the shrine.

Sakura leapt down to stand in front of the shrine. "Yue! Who are you? Yukito would never do something like this!" Yue stared at her critically. She shied from his gaze and saw Mizuki-sensei watching from the alley. Further back stood Touya who looked rather conflicted and disappointed. Kero was racing down the same alley, taking flight and landing next to her. It was almost exactly like the dream.

"Where's Syaoran?" Sakura asked. She already knew the answer. Yue flung open his wings to reveal Syaoran's bloody body which he tossed at her like a rag doll. She caught him, but was knocked over by his weight. He looked like a crime scene. He had cuts all over his body and his clothes were torn to shreds. The cut on his head had continued to leak blood and it was now dribbling down his chest.

"What did you do to him?" Sakura cried, "Why did you do this to him?" She asked when she received no answer, "Syaoran!" She shook his body, but he didn't move a muscle.

"It is time," Yue said, "You must defeat me and become the card mistress, or the great tragedy will occur."

"What more could you do?" Sakura asked defiantly as she held Syaoran's body tightly to her chest, "I've already lost my best friend because of this, and now, you've taken the one I love!"


	57. Sun Moon and Star

**CH56: Sun, Moon, and Star**

* * *

"You speak of love? What do you know of it?" Yue scowled at her, "Love is to be devoted to a single person and desire to serve them even to the point of giving your life if it would make them happy... Then, to have that person taken from you..." Yue paused to regain his composure. The girl had struck a nerve there. She couldn't know what it was like. No one did. "The cards grow attached to the one who seals them. They don't just obey that person, they care about their master more than their own lives. If you lose, they will lose what is most precious to them. They can't be allowed to know that pain. It would be unbearable for them to remember. If you lose, no one will remember the one that they care for!"

"You can't!" Sakura exclaimed.

"It's the only way." Yue said.

"Does remembering Clow hurt that badly? Would you rather forget the times you shared together?"

"What meaning does the past have if you have no one to share the present with?" Yue raised his arm and fired some ice shards at Sakura.

"Shield!" The pink bubble appeared just in time to deflect the attack.

"Sa... ku... ra..." Li's voice groaned quietly. He was still alive, but barely.

"Syaoran!" He was still asleep and didn't respond.

"Foolish girl. How could he have chosen you?" With a wave of his hand, Yue made the shield protecting Sakura vanish. "How could you be the candidate? You know nothing of the cards. Even he was smart enough not to use cards that are under my power."

Sakura stood and ran from Syaoran's body as fast as she could. His injuries were so bad that any stray attack might end it for him. "Don't make me fight you! I can't fight you..."

"Sakura!" This time it was Touya calling her name. "That's not Yuki, don't be afraid to fight!" Touya loved Yukito, yet he was encouraging her to fight Yue. Sakura was surprised, almost as much as by Touya's failure to interfere. He should have been freaking out. If Sakura was not so busy running for her life, she was sure that she would be freaking out about Touya finding out her secret.

"You can do it Sakura!" Kero cheered.

"They're right!" Sakura said to herself. She whirled around to face her opponent. She couldn't run from this. She would have to fight for Syaoran, for Touya, and for Yukito. "I have to fight, but no one has to die! Everything will be all right."

"You're too naive. The world is a cruel place and everyone dies." Yue said as he approached her. He formed a sword of ice in his hand and swung at Sakura. She screamed and raised her wand to block the attack. Yue's sword broke in two upon impact and the end of the blade flew off and embedded itself in the wall. Yue's attack was not stopped. The blade grew back in an instant. Sakura tried to dodge the next attack, but tripped over her own feet. She fell backwards and Yue's blade barely missed her, slicing cleanly through her school uniform's scarf. She hit the ground hard. She was stunned for a moment by the impact and was almost hit by Yue's next strike which landed between her arm and body, getting stuck in a crevice between the paving stones.

"Sand!" Sakura didn't want to give him a chance to free his weapon. The ground shifted beneath Yue's feet, setting him off balance. Tendrils of grainy grey sand climbed up his legs and dragged him downwards, slowly burying him.

"Way to go Sakura!" Kero cheered, but Yue was far from defeated. He spread his wings and flapped them powerfully, sending himself rocketing into the air. The sand could no longer reach him. Sakura called the sand back.

Yue decided that fighting from a distance was more appropriate. She had at least one card that had come close to being a serious threat. He wondered whether it was luck that she had chosen the card she did, or whether it had been a level of skill he had failed to see.

"Windy, bind him!" Sakura ordered.

"No, don't!" Kero warned, but it was too late. Windy swirled harmlessly around Yue, and then turned back upon Sakura.

"I thought you might have potential, but I was wrong. Windy is one of my cards. If you deserved to be the master of the Clow Cards, you would have known this." Windy created a bubble around Sakura that quickly lowered the air pressure until she felt woozy and her joints ached. It did not last long as her vision darkened and she fainted.

* * *

Sakura awoke in her bed in her room at the Li mansion. It looked all right, but it felt off. It took Sakura a moment to figure out what was wrong. The room was not exactly how she remembered it. Actually it was, just not in a state she had seen since she had battled the shadow.

"What happened?" Sakura asked no one in particular. The alarm was buzzing annoyingly. She hit the snooze button and lay back down. It felt like a good day not to get out of bed. "Okaa-san... What's going on?" She looked to the picture, which was amazingly whole, on the bedside table. She picked up the picture and held it in her arms. It had always been her favorite. The alarm began beeping again. Sakura covered her head with a pillow to try and ignore the sound. Half a minute later, the annoying buzzing stopped.

Sakura was really awake now. The clock had done its job, but for some reason everything still felt hazy. She looked over at the clock. It read four in the morning, Thursday. The elders usually taught magic on Thursdays. She would be late if she didn't hurry. For some reason she couldn't find her training clothes, so Sakura wore a set of gym clothes instead. She raced down to the training room to find Syaoran and Meiling already there sparring.

"Wind!" Meiling stood her ground against Syaoran's barrage. She ducked down and swung her foot in an arc towards Syaoran's ankle.

"Sorry I'm late." Sakura said as she entered. Syaoran looked surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Morning lessons, magic, fighting, family history and all that. Just like every other day at four in the morning."

"What do you mean, magic?" Syaoran asked as he stashed the ofuda he had just used up his sleeve. "Do you want to be escorted everywhere?"

"What do you mean? I've been training here every morning for months." Sakura went to the storage cupboard and got a set of ofudas to use for training. Maybe today she would be able to finally master the earth ofuda, though it was unlikely. She had more power than Li did, but he was much more skillful at controlling his power which was why he had mastered it already. She reached for the key. It wasn't around her neck like it should have been. She must have left it upstairs. She would have Kero help her find it. She had used the training swords as wands before, and could cast ofudas without any wand at all, but she probably would not learn any new skills today.

"Ready Syaoran?" Sakura asked, "Wind!" It was weak. It barely had any strength to it, but Syaoran and the Elders looked surprised that she had done it at all.

The elders excused themselves saying that training would be cancelled for the day. The day was just getting weirder.

Sakura returned to her room to look for the key of sealing. She couldn't find it anywhere. Everything was going missing today.

"Kero, do you know where the key is?" There was no answer. "Kero!" She checked the drawer where he usually slept. He wasn't there. There was no sign of him at all. She changed into her uniform since there was nothing else that she could do.

Breakfast was very quiet. She saw Yelan only for a few moments before the woman ran off to speak with the elders. Syaoran and Meiling showed up when she finished to walk her to school.

Syaoran walked on her left and Meiling walked on her right. It felt strange, like everything else, like something was horribly wrong. Usually, Syaoran was sandwiched between the two girls. They walked in uncomfortable silence.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura saw the girl walking to school. She wondered if Tomoyo had finally stopped blaming her for the death of... Laishi-san was about a block back from Tomoyo, conspicuously shadowing her in a purple limousine.

"Ohayo, Kinomoto-san." Tomoyo replied politely before continuing her walk to school on her own.

"She's still mad..." But that couldn't be right. It was like Tomoyo hadn't even recognized her. Not to mention the fact that Laishi was apparently alive.

"But you rarely even talk to her. What would she be mad about?" Meiling asked. Everything was all wrong. Sakura grabbed her head. It was throbbing painfully. She didn't know what to do. The whole world seemed to have been turned upside down.

* * *

Things continued strangely at school as well. First, Chiharu was not paying any attention to Yamazaki. When he started telling his lies, Chiharu did nothing to stop him. They didn't say a word to each other all day. Sakura was apparently sitting next to Chiharu, and Yamazaki next to Syaoran, and Tomoyo next to Naoko. When Sakura asked Chiharu why she didn't do anything to stop Yamazaki's lies, Chiharu responded that she had learned long ago that if you ignored him, he didn't waste his time talking to you.

In Japanese class, Rika was looking bored. Usually Rika looked forward to the class because she got to see Terada-Sensei. In Math, they had their old teacher back instead of Mizuki-sensei. Every time things seemed off, Sakura's head continued to hurt. By the time school was out, it felt like her head was going to explode.

She rushed out of the building and saw Touya tending the yard.

"Onii-chan," She called out. Hopefully he would still remember her.

"Do I look like a kaijyuu?" He replied gruffly, "If not, then why would you think I was the brother of one?"

"I am not!" Sakura crushed his foot with all her might under her own. To her surprise, he pushed her down when she did that. He had never done that before.

"I come all the way to China to look after you while you are here, and this is how you repay me?!" He looked angry. He actually looked like he really was going to hurt her. Sakura had hated her brother at times, had thought he was annoying, and on rare occasions felt good around him, but never before had she been afraid of him. She took a step back. Yukito would straighten her brother out.

"Where's Yukito-san? Doesn't he usually work with you?"

"Who is Yukito?" Her brother asked her.

"You don't remember him?" She turned and ran away. Everyone was so distant. They were colder and more aggressive than she remembered. It was like they had lost everything that was most precious to them.

"Syaoran!" She raced up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest. Everyone else had forgotten what was important. They had forgotten their feelings of love to the person who mattered the most to them.

"What the hell are you doing!" This time it was Syaoran who pushed her away. "What's wrong with you? I am not some stuffed animal you can cry all over. And, for the last time, I am not Syaoran to you. Only my family calls me Syaoran. You call me Li." Sakura stared at him in shock as he turned and left her sprawled on the grass.

"Everyone has forgotten." Sakura mumbled.

"Are you okay?" One of the girls from the school was standing over her.

"No..." Sakura said. She grabbed her head in pain from the most intense headache she had felt that day.

"Are you alright?" Touya asked. He had followed her after she had run from him.

"NO! This can't happen! I can't let it happen!"

* * *

Sakura's body began to glow as magical energy built up. Windy's power was wavering.

"No!" Sakura mumbled, "I can't let this happen!" The glow was blinding. It pushed against the barrier Windy was creating and was leaking out of the cracks that kept forming. "I won't let this happen!" Sakura screamed. Her aura flared powerfully, blowing Windy away. She opened her eyes and struggled to her knees. Her vision was a bit blurry and her breathing was heavy.

"That won't be enough!" Yue said angrily.

"Then, I'll do more!" Sakura panted as she struggled to her feet. "I can't allow it to happen. No matter how much pain losing someone makes you feel, the times you spent with them are precious. I won't let you take that away from anybody!"

"Foolish girl! You are nothing compared to Clow. He was the greatest sorcerer of all time. You could never replace him, nor even compare to him. I will show you how weak you truly are. You don't deserve to hold the cards that bear his name!" The windy returned and wrapped itself around Sakura so she could not move. "You've lost." Yue prepared to fire an arrow at Sakura.

The sound of a bell rang out. It caused Yue's bow to dissipate before he could fire and Windy to return to its card form.

"What was that? Who interferes with the final judgment?" Yue asked.

"Interference?" Kaho Mizuki asked, "There is no interference. Clow's magic would never allow it."

"You are right, I will not allow it." Yue glared at the woman. He raised his arms and prepared to fire another arrow, this time aiming for Kaho Mizuki. She rang the bell again, stripping Yue of his power once more.

"Who could have created an object that would hold so much power over one of Clow's creations?"

"Only Clow Reed himself..." Yue admitted.

"This bell was created by Clow Reed to give the appointed mistress a second chance. It was handed down to me, and it will now fulfill its purpose, and mine for coming here." She walked over to Sakura and helped the girl to her feet. "This is your second chance, your only chance. Don't let it go to waste." The bell was struck against the sealing wand. The bell disintegrated on contact and the wand began to glow. When the glow had faded, the wand had changed shape. It now appeared as a winged circle with a star in the center rather than the bird-like form it had before.

"The sealing wand transformed!" Kero exclaimed.

"Sugoi!" The wand felt much different to Sakura now. It felt more real, like it was an extension of her own body.

"You think that a new wand will help?" Yue asked, "It isn't the wand that was weak, it was you."

"Windy." Sakura picked up the card that had turned on her. "Please, capture Yue."

"No!" Kero warned.

"Foolish girl, Windy will not affect me." Yue smirked.

"Windy!" Despite the warnings from both friend and foe, Sakura called forth Windy. It flew straight at Yue who looked on with surprise as he was bound by what he should have been able to control.

"This is impossible." Yue said as he was surrounded by a spherical wall of air which brought him down to Sakura. "How can I win when Clow himself is against me?"

"You were alone for a long time." Sakura said, "You grieved for your old master and let the anger fester. You have to move on, but you don't have to forget. I am not Clow Reed. I am not as powerful as he was, and I'll never be able to replace him. He was your only master, so I can't ask you to call me your master. I will ask, however, that you call me your friend. Won't that be better than being alone?"

"I have no choice." Yue replied, "I must accept the one appointed as the new master of the cards."

Sakura recalled the Windy card, releasing Yue. The scenery around Sakura faded and she found herself standing in some sort of astral plane.

"Well done, Sakura." A voice said, "I am proud of you."

"Who is there?" Sakura asked. The image of Clow appeared before her.

"I knew you could defeat him."

"Clow Reed!" She recognized him from the pictures in the Li histories. "How is this possible? You are dead..."

"I am, but I am also very powerful. My spirit lives on even if my body is gone."

"How did I beat Yue?" She asked.

"He is guardian of the moon." Clow replied, "He has dominion over all magic that draws its power from the moon, just as Kero does over that which draws power from the sun." He smiled at her, "You magic draws on neither. Your power comes from a star that shines just for you. It may not be as bright in the sky as the sun or moon, but it has a power all of its own." The astral scene faded and Sakura was back by the water shrine.

"I did it." She said weakly before collapsing into Yue's arms. She was so tired. She had used up so much energy. She turned her head to look at Syaoran. Her brother had picked her fiancée up.

"We have to get him to a hospital now." Touya stated reluctantly. He did not like the idea of helping anyone who might consider being romantically involved with his sister. It had taken all of his willpower not to interfere in their relationship more than he had.

"Hai..." Everyone she cared for was safe now. She let her eyes begin to droop closed as the exhaustion overtook her. Yue picked her up. Just before she fell to sleep, she caught sight of a man in a white cloak disappear down an alleyway away from them.


	58. Card Mistress

**CH57: Card Mistress**

* * *

Sakura sat by the hospital bed where Syaoran now lay. They had been there so many times now that Sakura did not even notice the antiseptic smell of the hospital air anymore. This time, however, Syaoran had needed to undergo surgery. After learning of the extent he had been injured, Sakura was surprised that the doctors had managed to stabilize him, even though now he remained in a comatose state for a period that the doctors could not even guess.

She really hoped that he would wake up soon. The doctors had informed her that if he didn't wake up within the first few weeks, he probably never would. Even if he did wake up, he was in for some serious pain. The injury to his shoulder had caused a great deal of damage. His collar bone had been completely shattered, his lung had been grazed, and the doctors were fairly certain that there was some nerve damage, the extent of which would not be known until he awakened... if he ever did. There was one bright side to his comatose state. There had been a minor hemorrhage in his brain that had been inoperable. His coma was keeping the pressure from building up while his body healed itself. For this reason, Sakura was grateful for his comatose state. It was better to have him sleeping, than not have him at all.

The mess in the city had been surprisingly easy to clear up. Several blocks of buildings had been damaged, some seriously, others with as little as a few cracked windows. The press had received a report from an 'anonymous government source' that there had been a sudden localized earthquake that initiated a car accident involving a truck transporting hallucinogenic chemicals to a nearby government testing facility. The public had readily taken to the story, preferring to believe the convenient lie rather than what their eyes had seen. Who would, after all, believe that they had seen monsters and a girl who flew through the air like a bird?

Sakura's brother on the other hand hadn't believed a word of the official story. Every so often, Touya would give her looks. They indicated that he knew what was going on, but wanted to hear it from her. She had yet to talk to him about it; she really did not see the need to rush it. They were in a hospital, and doctors came barging in to check his vitals and run tests. They couldn't be allowed to know the truth.

There was also the problem of Yukito. He didn't give any sign of remembering what had happened at all. She could not even draw up the courage to tell her brother what she was, so how could she tell Yukito that he was not who he believed himself to be? Touya had obviously not talked to him about it either. They did not usually stay long, Touya had never really liked Li, and the uncomfortable tension that was in the air as they sat there silently drove them away after their short visits.

Kero even dropped by once, but he neither liked Li, nor did he particularly like the food they served in the hospital, except for the occasional pudding cup. Yue even made his presence known a few times, once explaining that he had never intended the blow to be fatal, though that did little to alleviate Sakura's fears about Syaoran's condition.

Sakura sat at Syaoran's side for days, refusing to leave until he woke up. Eventually, a routine developed. She would wake and freshen up. Yelan would come mid-morning and spend the most of the time there continuing the morning lessons that otherwise would have been abandoned. She did not speak of magic or self defense very often. When she did, she was only speaking of the theoretical rather than application. Instead, she was focusing on history, business, politics, and in particular, clan affairs.

Once Yelan was finished, there would be a few hours where Sakura would spend some time with Syaoran, read, listen to music, or watch the small television that was affixed to the wall. While not much smaller than what she was used to when she was in Japan, the television served to remind her how accustomed she had become to the opulent life enjoyed by the Li's. She had rarely taken advantage of the money available to her, yet somehow, mostly thanks to Syaoran, she had found herself living like a fairy-tale princess. Almost every desire she had expressed had ended up fulfilled, whether it was a craving for strawberry ice cream from her favorite store, or an expensive piece of name brand clothing that she would never have considered spending even half their price on. He hadn't been the only one. Sakura remembered when, despite her resistance, Tomoyo would create, and on occasion purchase, amazing outfits for her to wear, and then embarrass her by insisting on having her perform for a special video of her wearing each and every one of them. She had not come by to visit since Li had been hurt.

After her alone time with Syaoran, friends from school would show up to check on Syaoran and deliver a copy of their class notes for Sakura to copy, as well as any work that was assigned. She would work on this when whoever had time came to see Syaoran, then spend some more time watching Syaoran until her eyes would not keep themselves open.

She continued this routine for a month after Syaoran entered his coma. There was now only a month and a half before the exchange program ended and she would have to return home, and likely would not see Syaoran again until their wedding day, except perhaps for a few days during the holidays. Yelan, of course, insisted that she should stay with the Li family until the marriage, but her father missed her and she him. It would be unfair to deprive him of his last year with his daughter.

After that, everything changed. Yelan began staying longer, often coming back in to evenings to teach Sakura after staying until Sakura's school friends came by. Syaoran had not yet woken up and the doctors had stopped coming, instead having nurses check his vitals, replacing his clear plastic bags of intravenous nutrient solutions and various other tasks. Her friends, having lives of their own to continue, visited less and less. They usually only sent one person for cursory greetings and homework delivery.

* * *

When she had only a week left, Sakura's routine was broken as Yelan ordered that she return to the mansion for the day. She didn't resist. She had sat with him for over two months, and there was no sign of improvement. He probably would never wake up. It really depressed her to sit there and watch him waste away. His hard, perfectly toned body was now soft and his bones were readily visible, as it seemed that even in a hospital bed he burned calories at an extreme pace. His hair was actually neat for a change, as he had not ruffled it up after the nurses had given him a bath. It didn't suit him.

Wei drove her home. She walked into the hall to find both Kero and Yue waiting in their full glory, along with Yelan who was dressed formally. Yelan presented her with a formal clan outfit and ordered her to change. She easily deduced what was coming, even without Yelan ever mentioning it. The elders had fought Syaoran's position since he was a boy, wanting an immediate solution rather than waiting on the family line. It was one of the few areas where they deviated from tradition. Now they had good reason to contest Syaoran's future position. They would likely strip him of his birthright while he slept. Yelan currently acted as a steward, but that could only last until he was eighteen. It was not unheard of, however, for the wife to take an active role in the clan's leadership. It explained why Yelan had been so interested in teaching her about the clan affairs. She was Syaoran's only chance. If she could prove that she was worthy to lead, Yelan would be able to convince the elders to allow Syaoran to remain as the heir despite his current condition. Kero and Yue were there to help make an impression on the elders.

Sakura checked herself in the hall mirror. Her dress was red and white with gold trim. The yin-yang wasn't featured as prominently as it was on most Li clan garb, instead a wolf's head was the main decal and small yin-yang symbols were featured at the collar and the wrists. She began to frantically work on her hair. She was stopped by Yelan who affixed her hair with a pair of ivory chopsticks. It looked good. Yelan had obviously put a lot of thought into how Sakura would appear before the council of elders.

Sakura prepared herself as they approached the doors that led to a long hall and finally the council chamber. Everything she did would have to be perfect. Even one mistake would imperil Syaoran's future. She had to believe for herself that he would one day be awake to fulfill his birthright, and she had to protect it until that time came.

When the doors were opened, Sakura purposefully strode down the hall, flanked by her guardians. Yelan's role in the matter was finished, so she kept a few steps behind to give an impression of authority that befitted a future ruler of the clan.

Sakura approached the designated spot at the center of the council chamber before the large fire which flared as she approached. The elders looked down at her from their seats and Sakura did her best not to flinch. She focused on the flames in front of her.

It seemed like she had been there forever. The silence continued as they waited for her to break. It was boring and nerve racking to stand still while others looked on, waiting for her to make the first move, but she couldn't. If she was to win, she had to be in the dominant position. That meant, though she had come to the elders, they would have to approach her with the matters at hand rather than her petitioning them for Syaoran's sake. Yelan's work on her had been done well. It had been an intensive study regime, but Sakura was sure she had been taught enough to handle this situation. She started mulling over the lessons in her head to keep them fresh, to make sure that she did not slip up.

It had been over an hour since Sakura had arrived. Luckily, waiting was something she had practiced diligently for two months during her vigil over her fiancée. Her legs had begun to cramp up. Some of the less experienced elders began to get restless, but the eyes of Li Xiao Fang continued to stare at her critically without wavering. Yue remained alert by her side, but Kero had long been bored by the ordeal. He lay on the floor snoring loudly. Sakura did not let this bother her. Some of the elders, however, could barely maintain a straight face as Kero talked in his sleep.

"Enough," Li Xiao Fang commanded, arousing Kero from his slumber. "What business do you have with us?"

"I have no business with you," Sakura responded resolutely. The waiting game began again, but did not last long. She had already won that portion of the battle.

"Syaoran is in a coma, and is not likely to wake up."

"He is still alive, so there is hope, and I will fulfill his duties until the time he can resume them as is my duty to the clan."

"If Syaoran does not awaken, you will never be part of the clan," The elders countered.

"Syaoran is contractually bound to be my husband when he becomes eighteen. This does not change if he remains asleep."

"We can break the contract."

"You will not break the contract. The prophecy decreed that Syaoran would bring the Clow Cards into the clan. Without him, the cards and their mistress remain free from any obligation to the Li family."

"We will have the cards at any cost," Li Yu Kai insisted, speaking out of turn. Li Xiao Fang glared at him warningly. They had just lost another point in the verbal battle. Sakura was dangerously close to winning. Already, some of the elders were being swayed by her arguments.

"You will not," Yue spoke up. This surprised Sakura. From what she had learned of Yue, he was not prone to emotional outbursts but logical action, unlike Kero. Yue fired an arrow at Li Yu Kai. A barrier sprung up in defense of the council member, but the arrow pierced through it. The arrow dissipated just before striking its target, but not because of anything that the elders did.

"A battle against your best fighter," Sakura suggested. "If I win, Syaoran's birthright will go unchallenged as long as he lives."

"If you lose, you will give up control of the Clow Cards," Li Xiao Fang responded, accepting her challenge. "Last time you fought me, I limited myself. This time, you will face the full power of the magic under my control." The fire in the center of the room receded into the ground. The center of the room was now a single smooth surface. When Li Xiao Fang stepped down into the ring with Sakura, a field of energy appeared, growing spherically and creating a pocket dimension that rejected everything but the two who would battle. Sakura recognized the experience. It was just like when she had fought Rusaki Numaru for the very first time.

"Kero? Yue?" They were gone.

"There will be no interference from your guardians. It will be you, and me. Only our power may enter this arena." He drew out a pendant. It changed into an intricate sword. Its blade shone along its curves that lead down to the large ruby orb at its base and the intricate gold dragon that held all the pieces together.

"Then I will do this with my power alone," Sakura said as she withdrew her own pendant. She focused her power and uttered her chant. "Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form to me. Under the contract, Sakura commands you, release!" To her surprise, nothing happened.

"Release!" She had no idea what was wrong. It should have worked. Perhaps the time in the hospital had weakened her power. She had not had reason to use the Clow Cards since she had become the card mistress. It didn't matter. It was more difficult, but she had summoned cards without her wand before. "Windy!" Once again, her spell failed.

"If you cannot use your magic, then this duel is already over, and I have won." Li Xiao Fang activated an ofuda, blasting her against the edge of the dome that contained them. "This is the first level of the Li magic. Even children can master it."

"Wind!" She used an ofuda and returned his attack in kind. He nullified the attack with an identical one of his own.

"Fire is the next level." Li Xiao fang continued as if he was teaching her rather than battling. He launched a cone of fire at Sakura. She responded with the ofuda of water. The water overpowered the fire. Li Xiao Fang was knocked back and soaked by the torrent and the room filled with steam. The ground was now coated with half an inch of water from Sakura's attack.

"And then comes lightning!" Sakura fired a bolt at the ground as she leapt into the air. Xiao fang used the wind ofuda once again, this time to clear the water from around his feet and preventing the electricity from running through him.

"You have learned all this, in a year, and that is impressive," Xiao Fang said. "But you still have not mastered earth." A rock jutted from the floor. It threatened to pin Sakura against the wall, but Sakura did a handspring over it. "I think it's time I showed you something new," He told her. "Just like you combine your cards to create new and powerful effects, elements can also be combined. For instance, wind and fire can have a similar effect to the lightning ofuda when used together. Better yet, one could use earth and water to do this." Wood grew from the rock that Sakura had avoided and restrained her. She could no longer reach her ofudas, and therefore could no longer cast any spells. She was trapped.

"You are defeated, and have given up all rights to the Clow Cards."

"No!" Sakura remembered how terrible the world she had seen during her fight with Yue had felt. She wasn't sure, but there was still a good chance that should she lose the cards, it might come to pass anyway. "I won't let this happen."

"It is for the best of the clan," Li Xiao Fang said, "Surrender. I have no desire to injure you."

"You only think of the clan! There is a whole world out there that our actions affect. There are individual people whom our actions can hurt. The clan isn't everything, but everything is what you will risk for it. I can't let something terrible happen to the people I care about." She struggled more violently. Why weren't her guardians there to help her? They derived their life from her power, so they were of her magic now. They should have come with her to help. "You must have been lying. My magic cannot enter here."

"You would accuse me of cheating in a binding duel? If I did that, you would be judged the winner."

"Then I should be able to summon them. I should be able to call Keroberos and Yue to me!" She focused her mind on her two guardians.

"Your guardians' power is not allowed in this duel, only your own."

"They are my power. They live because of my power. I sustain their being through my power. They are a part of me now, so I can and will summon them!" Sakura insisted. Kero and Yue broke through the barrier and into the battle area.

"Sakura!" Kero let loose a ball of fire that released Sakura from the entanglement of the wood that had bound her.

"Arigatou," Sakura thanked him. "Now, let's finish this."

Despite, his knowledge and magical prowess, Li Xiao Fang found himself outmatched by the magical girl and her guardians and soon was forced to concede defeat and the pocket of arena space disappeared.

"You defeated me," He admitted, "As long as Syaoran lives, his birthright can not be questioned again."

Sakura prepared to respond, but the words got caught in her throat as her ring slipped off of her finger of its own accord and fell to the floor. She fell to her knees and grabbed the ring, grasping it desperately to her chest. All the effort had been wasted. "Syaoran is dead..."


	59. Resuscitation and Goodbye

**CH58: Resuscitation and Goodbye**

* * *

"Impossible!" Li Xian burst out in response to Sakura's unexpected announcement. "How could you possibly know?"

"Syaoran's the only one who can take it off." She whispered. Her breathing was ragged and she could not hold back her tears.

"Explain yourself!" Yelan demanded.

"He enchanted the engagement ring. Only he could take it off my finger, but it fell off on its own. It doesn't even fit anymore." She cried.

The room sat in silence for a few moments. Enchantments of the scope as those on the ring did not consume much power. More powerful enchantments were usually linked directly to a power source so that they would continue unhindered no matter the state of the caster. These power sources, short of a great disaster, were practically infinite. Smaller enchantments often were connected directly to the users own life force. In this case it drew from Syaoran's energy. As long as he was alive, the small drain on his energy should never have caused a problem to him, but if his life force ceased to exist, all the enchantments would fail immediately. Each person in the room, even the few who sat there by mental and physical merit rather than magical had learned enough about magic to know this.

"There are other possibilities," Yelan said with a hint of fear that almost shattered her regal composure.

* * *

Syaoran felt incredible pain. It was if everything from the base of his neck to his fingertips were engulfed in flames, and those flames were burning as well. He didn't even get a chance to open his eyes. Even his scream of pain was cut short as his body convulsed.

"Beep, beep, beep, bweeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." The heart monitor attached to Syaoran went on sending the solid tone. Alarms began adding to the racket and the light above Syaoran's door began to flash. This set off other alarms and caused doctors and nurses to rush in to tend to their patient.

"I am starting compressions, get the paddles!" A doctor called out as he began to press rhythmically down on Syaoran's chest. A nurse began pumping air into his lungs as a defibrillator was brought in and began charging with a high squeal.

"Clear!" All contact with Syaoran's body disappeared as the doctor pressed the paddles to Syaoran's chest and sent a jolt of electricity through his heart. A lone blip interrupted the flat line on the monitor.

* * *

"You can't go in there," A nurse blocked the entrance as a procession of arrived from the Li home to check on Syaoran. Sakura was at the head of the line.

"He's my son! I will see him." Yelan said to no avail.

"Fifteen minutes ago, Syaoran woke up," The nurse explained, "The nerve damage was more severe than anticipated and the resulting neuropathy... the pain was unendurable. His body began shutting down in response. His heart stopped..."

"Will he be okay?" Sakura asked. There was no hope present in her voice.

The nurse looked nervously aside. "I... The doctors are doing everything they can."

There was a crash and the door to the room burst open. A nurse was running towards another wing of the hospital, sent to fetch something for one of the doctors that was working to revive Syaoran.

"That level of amphetamines isn't safe!"

"His brain has almost completely shut down! It's our only chance. Just keep his blood pumping." Syaoran was hooked up to several machines which were executing the functions his body normally would have accomplished on its own. Before the image could set in their minds, the door swung closed. It did not stay that way for long.

"I have the methadone," The nurse said as she rushed back into the room carrying a small bottle of a clear liquid.

"Inject seven milliliters, then prepare a drip for a continuous dosage."

"Inject adrenaline into his heart. Try to start it again."

"SYAORAN!"

"Bleep... blebleep..." The door got stuck on a discarded bottle, allowing the people waiting outside the room to see the miraculous event that took place.

"His heart! It beat on its own."

"It's arrhythmic, clear!" The paddles were used once again on Syaoran's chest, which was now bright red from the electric charges that had repeatedly been sent through it.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

* * *

Sakura and the Li Family waited to hear news of Syaoran for what seemed like an eternity. Yelan's constant pestering of the hospital staff got the group restricted to a waiting room while the doctors worked. Sakura sat quietly in a corner of the room. Her legs were pulled up to her chest and her head rested on her knees. Tears were flowing down the soft silk of her dress. Yelan marched back and forth agitatedly. The elders just sad in somber silence.

Finally, a doctor entered the room. Several people shouted out questions to the doctor who raised his hand to silence the crowd. The room quieted.

"Syaoran came out of his coma this morning. His injury had caused severe neuropathy which will most likely cause him severe pain for the rest of his life. This pain was so severe that his body began shutting down because it could not cope with the pain. He was dead for sixteen minutes and thirty two seconds before we managed to revive him.

"He is still in serious condition, but for now he is stable. It is rare for anyone to come back after being dead for such a long period of time. There is no telling what the permanent effects of this will be. He will, at the very least, have to take medication for the pain for the rest of his life."

A commotion was being made down the hallway. The doctor went out to check on it in case it was an emergency.

"He will be crippled for life. That is hardly the image that we want for head of the clan."

"Quiet!" Li Xiao Fang chastised. "The agreement was binding. You know the penalties for breaking a binding magical agreement."

The chastised elder looked away embarrassed. "He did die."

"You should have taken the initiative while he was dead if you felt so strongly!" Li Yu Kai chided the other elder. "The agreement after all was that he would retain his birthright unquestionably as long as he lives, not until he dies."

The chastised elder scowled. It seemed that he was the only one who would still openly question the future of the clan.

The door to the room opened. The commotion was much louder now.

"Sakura..." Syaoran stood in the doorway. Several doctors and nurses were standing behind him yelling about how he should not be out of bed because of his condition. He looked unsteady on his feet. His eyes were glossy and unfocused. His breathing was strained and he winced painfully with every movement.

"Syaoran!" Sakura raced over to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He said. "Arigatou."

"He shouldn't even be up," one of the doctors said. "He was given enough sedatives to knock out a man twice his size for the rest of the day." Syaoran's balance wavered a bit. Sakura wrapped her arms around him and he in turn let his weight rest against her.

"I can't rest," Syaoran muttered.

"He does have an extremely fast metabolism. Combined with the amphetamines, he probably won't want to rest for a while."

"Please, Syaoran. You don't have to sleep. Just lay down for a while and we can talk."

Despite the pain being up and about caused, Syaoran did not feel much like going to bed. He felt agitated, like there was something else he should be doing. The fact that it was Sakura who had asked him, however, made all the difference. He had never seen someone look both so sad, and so happy at the same time.

"Hai," He replied affirmatively, allowing Sakura to lead him back to his room. Once there, the doctors hooked him back up to the monitors and intravenous sources that had been detached for Syaoran's short foray into the hospital.

"I was so afraid," Sakura said once the hospital staff left them alone. Luckily for them, the matters addressed earlier in the day required a great deal of work, ensuring that the elders and Syaoran's mother had not been able to stay for long. "When the enchantments on the ring broke, I was sure that I would never speak to you again."

"I'll fix it," Syaoran reached for the ring with his good hand.

"No you won't. Baka! I don't want you dying again."

"Dead?"

"For over fifteen minutes. You're lucky you're so rich, or else the doctors would have given up and you'd be gone. Just rest and let your body heal itself."

"Like dying could keep me away from you." Syaoran thought about the ring. He assumed that the enchantments should have remained on the ring. He had not really died, after all he was alive now, but the fact remained that his enchantments had broken. Perhaps his spirit and body had become detached during that time of death, but there had been no real study of this phenomenon since the ability to revive people who had died for a short period of time had only been developed recently in medical history.

"How did you know where I was? You came right to me after you woke up."

"I could see you," Syaoran replied. "As soon as I woke up... I could see more then before. The magical auras appear so strongly that I can't tune them out, and when I concentrate, I see things that I don't understand. So... I guess you won... Is that why I am not a wolf right now?"

"Yue never could have fixed that permanently. It's Clow's own magic from before Yue was even created, so it's not truly under his dominion even if it draws from the moon. He just used it as a reason to fight you."

Syaoran grunted in response to this. "Your dress is torn," He observed, "Is everything okay?"

"Hai. It is now. The elders were going to choose someone else to take your place. I had to fight Xiao Fang-sama."

"I guess he was no match for the Clow Cards." Syaoran said.

"The Clow Cards didn't work at all. I can't even unseal the wand."

"Did the stuffed animal have anything to say about it?"

"I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him about it yet."

"I'm sure everything will be okay," Syaoran assured her.

"I hope so. Please get better quickly. I don't know how I will be able to cope if you're not better when I return to Japan."

"How long?"

"The plane leaves six days from now..."

"I've been asleep that long?"

"Hai."

"Are you going to come back?"

"Otou-san wants me to stay with him this year. I might be able to come for holidays. Onii-chan will be staying here though. He and Yukito have already settled in, and they want to be nearby after the wedding. Yukito doesn't know why, but he's coming back with me. I think Yue convinced him, even if he doesn't know it."

"How exciting, a whole year alone with Touya... Worse than being dead."

"At least if you're not dead, you have me to look forward to."

"Well, I guess getting better is a little more enticing if I think of it that way."

* * *

Two days later, Syaoran was released from hospital with a prescription for a rather large dosage of methadone. He was warned that it was highly addictive and that he should take as little as possible to control the pain and that it was very dangerous to take more than the prescribed dosage. Even with the pills, Syaoran had trouble with moving his left arm because of both the pain and the damage that had been done to the motor control nerves.

Syaoran seemed to handle the situation well though. He rarely took more than half of his medication, even though he was obviously in constant pain. The doctors had also told him to refrain from strenuous exercise because of the amount of strain that had been put on his body, but he still managed to return to training. Sakura and Meiling did not go all out on him anymore despite his insistence that he could handle it.

His almost useless arm rarely seemed to be a hindrance as he had managed to adapt to using one arm for everything. Meiling tried her very best to get in the way of this by trying to keep him bedridden and by waiting on him hand and foot. Because of this, she claimed credit for every minor improvement in his condition. This annoyed Syaoran to no end, and his sisters were almost as bad. He even went to the last day of school with Sakura. Their friends were happy to see them back, even if it was just for one day.

Sakura and Syaoran rarely left each other's sides for their last week together up until they reached the airport terminal.

As much as Sakura wanted to see her father again, Hong Kong had become her home. She didn't want to have to leave, especially since Syaoran was not yet fully recovered.

"Syaoran... I'll miss you."

"Maybe I should just hop on the plane with you," He suggested.

"I wish you could," Sakura said, glancing towards Yelan, "Your mother would never allow it though."

"Whatever it takes, I'll find a way to be with you. Aishiteru, Sakura-koishii," He said the last bit just loud enough so that Touya could hear. Yukito was now having trouble holding Touya back from attempting to further cripple Syaoran. The words also made Sakura turn bright red, especially since the title implied that they might have done something that they had not really talked about, even though neither of them would have really complained had the act taken place.

Before Sakura could overcome her embarrassment and respond, Syaoran began to kiss her. He did everything that he knew she liked, and she lost herself in his attentions. The injuries certainly didn't hinder his left hand from sliding up Sakura's thigh to places that were borderline indecent for public displays of affection.

By the time he had finished, Sakura had ended up leaning back against a pillar with Syaoran leaning over her. Both were panting heavily. Older people were actively looking away from them while younger ones were watching with avid interest. Touya had gone completely red and Yukito had been forced to acquire some assistance from a security guard to help restrain him.

"Touya's going to kill you," Sakura whispered.

"Believe me, dying doesn't hurt half as much as you leaving. Besides, every bruise will only serve to remind me how much I miss you." He produced their engagement ring from his pocket. He had managed to reapply the enchantments, as well as a few new ones without her knowing.

"Arigatou." Sakura's finger just hadn't felt right without the ring. Just then, intercom announced Sakura's flight.

* * *

Syaoran sat at his desk and finished writing a letter in a fancily lettered script. He signed it with his own name in large letters at the bottom. He carefully folded the paper into three, ensuring that the folds were straight and in between the lines of text. He places the letter in an envelope, sealing it with a drop of green wax into which he pressed the symbol of the Li Clan. The front of the envelope was addressed to "The Emperor" with no other identification. It did not need a full address, because it would not be going through the postal service. Syaoran pressed a few digits on his phone.

"Wei, I have a delivery for you to make."

**THE END**

_(To be continued in Heart of Darkness)_


	60. Reference and HotD Preview

**Heart of the Darkness Chapter 1 Preview**

* * *

"Mooshi-mooshi. Syaoran speaking."

"I've missed you." Sakura said.

"Well, it's only been a few hours 'kura." Syaoran said.

"Didn't you miss me?" Sakura asked poutily, though the effect was mostly lost over the phone.

"Of course I did. It was like my heart was torn from my chest when I saw you get on that plane."

"Will you visit me?"

"Whenever I possibly can, I'd love to know what it's like to sleep in your bed." Sakura blushed at the words he spoke.

"Fine then, I'll take Touya's room while you're there."

"You are too cruel Sakura."

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm at Tomoeda airport right now."

"I'm glad you arrived safely." Syaoran told her. "Argh!" He groaned in pain.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed, "Are you alright?" She asked.

"It's just my shoulder. I think I overworked it a bit. I have to get my medication." He told her, "Call me when you get home."

"I will, or else I'll worry about you."

* * *

**Index A: Clow Cards (52/52+3):**

Sakura:  
The Arrow, The Big, The Bubbles, The Change, The Cloud, The Create, The Dash, The Dark, The Dream, The Earthy, The Erase, The Fiery, The Fight, The Float, The Flower, The Fly, The Freeze, The Glow, The Illusion, The Libra, The Light, The Lock, The Loop, The Maze, The Mirror, The Mist, The Move, The Jump, The Little, The Power, The Rain, The Return, The Sand, The Shadow, The Shield, The Shot, The Silent, The Sleep, The Snow, The Storm, The Song, The Sweet, The Sword, The Through, The Thunder, The Time, The Twin, The Windy, The Wood, The Voice, The Watery, The Wave

Uncaptured:  
XThe Hope, XThe Nameless Card, XThe Nothing (Void)

* * *

**Index B: Language Reference:**

Abayo: Good-Bye  
Aishiteru: I love you  
Arigatou: Thank you  
Baka: Idiot  
Gaki: Brat  
Genki: Happy, well, energetic  
Gomennasai: Excuse me/sorry  
Hai: Yes; general acknowledgment.  
Hentai: Pervert.  
Hi: Fire, flame, blaze (noun suffix)  
Hoe: Random noise Sakura makes as an exclamation of surprise, confusion, or anger.  
Jwwle: (Coptic Egyptian) Be hindered.  
Kaijyuu: Monster  
Kaki: Fire  
Kawaii: Cute  
Konnichiwa: Hello.  
Moshimoshi: Traditional telephone greeting.  
Nani: What  
Ofuda: A sacred object or charm. Usually a small paper with words written on it.  
Ohayou: Good morning  
Ohayou gozaimasu: Good morning, polite version.  
Okaa: Mother  
Onii: Brother  
Otou: Father  
Ouhte: (Coptic Egyptian) Lightning/Calamity  
Sakura: Name, means cherry blossom  
Shibariageru: To bind/tie up  
Syaoran: Name, is the Japanese form of the Chinese Xiao Lang which means little wolf.  
Sugoi: Really good/bad (Depends on context)  
Wrj: (Coptic Egyptian) Be fixed, fastened, secure.  
Yuan: Chinese currency, worth about 1/70 USD  
-chan: Honorific that refers to girls, or very young boys. Implies cuteness.  
-koishii: Honorific that refers to one's lover.  
-kun: Honorific that is usually used to refer to males. From older to younger males. From girls to boys. Not to be used by parents unless they are trying to spoil a child.  
-sama: Honorific used to refer to elders or those due respect.  
-sensei: Honorific that refers to a teacher or doctor.  
-san: Used to refer to people to whom you have no other acceptable honorific.

**

* * *

**

**Index C: Original Characters:**

Cthugha: Powerful fire spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract od servitude to use his powers of fire generation and manipulation. Incarnation appears as a pulsating orb of fire.  
Isenas-Sensei: A teacher at Tomoeda High School.  
Khaos: Powerful spirit who chose to serve the Li clan's most powerful wizards for his own entertainment. His power is almost limitless, and completely unpredictable. He goes by many names, and his appearance is usually that of a large winged blue cheshire cat, though he may appear as whatever he wishes.  
Laishi Lin: One of the Daidouji family's bodyguards. Practically raised Tomoyo since her father left. Is mortally wounded in the battle with the power card.  
Dr. Ling Hi: Li family's personal doctor.  
Dr. Ling Kue: Father of Ling Hi, and predecessor as Li family physician before his retirement.  
Li Han Yu: Council member who tends to consider honour over expense, brother of Li Yu Kai.  
Li Kum Soun: Was the most powerful seer in the Li family and a member of the Li council of elders until her death.  
Li Xeng: Cousin to Syaoran, son of Li Xun's brother. His skills in battle and magic are moderate, but his strategic mind and unrivalled business sense make him an excellent candidate for leadership.  
Li Xian: Li council member, respected, but has not risen to the upper echelons due to his hasty decision-making and tendency to favour the easy method over the proper one.  
Li Xiao Fang: Current leader of the Li council of elders and most powerful sorcerer in the clan.  
Li Xun: Syaoran's father and clan leader until his death.  
Li Yu Kai: Aggressive council member who believes that most problems can be solved with physical brutality. Brother of Li Han You.  
Loucetious: Powerful light spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of light manipulation. Incarnation appears as a man that glows with a blinding pure white light.  
Nonter: Powerful lightning spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of energy manipulation. Incarnation appears as a dragon of energy, or an orb of arcing static..  
Rh'Thulla: Powerful wind spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of air manipulation. Incarnation is formless.  
Rusaki Numaru: Student at Sakura's school, heir to Shiza corporation. Executes an elaborate plan to destroy the Li family, but dies in the attempt..  
Rusaki Chen: Father of Numaru and CEO of the Shiza Corporation  
Rukadin Umarut: Rusaki Numaru's real name. Calls himself this when using the spirit of Anubis to enhance his abilities. Is killed by Sakura with the shot card.  
Tidus: Water spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of water generation and manipulation. Incarnation appears as a naga, or, in more powerful summoning ,as a dragon.  
Q'yth-az: Powerful earth spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of earth manipulation. Incarnation appears as a crystalline mass that can be in any form.  
Zushakon: Powerful spirit bound by the Li clan in a contract of servitude to use his powers of darkness and shadow manipulation. Incarnation appears as a swirling black vortex, though due to his powers, no one has seen his true shape. 


End file.
